


No Angels

by toribeth18



Series: Angel Series [1]
Category: X-Men: First Class (2011) - Fandom
Genre: Erik's mother is very determined, Fix-It, Heather is too awkward to even function, Heather is very annoyed, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-08
Updated: 2015-05-31
Packaged: 2018-02-03 21:48:07
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 33,114
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1757807
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/toribeth18/pseuds/toribeth18
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Heather Coleman is used to seeing and talking to spirits; after all, she has been doing it since she was a toddler. But it's definitely a surprise when one comes forward and asks for a favor - she wants Heather to find her son, Erik.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Seeing dead people wasn't exactly a new thing for Heather. In fact, it was pretty common occurrence in her life - a day was never complete without at least one sighting. Which was rare - and by rare, she meant impossible - because there was a terrifying amount of ghosts left over in this world. Whether they chose to stay behind or they had some unresolved business didn't seem to change the fact that they were nearly everywhere - some knowing they were dead, the others...not so much.

But it wasn't like they scared Heather or anything. No, she'd gotten over that fear a long time ago, even years before the man-with-no-jaw - her first ghost - had stopped standing at the foot of her bed. It was at that point that she realized that while it was easy to be afraid of them, it was also pretty easy to not be afraid of them. After all, most of them didn't mean any real harm and were actually pretty understanding. And those that did mean harm, well, it was easy for her to get rid of them after some practice.

The spirits could see Heather too. As stupid as that sounds. The ghosts could, of course, see other human beings normally, but they were drawn to Heather. She was sort of like a beacon for dead - a human that could finally see them without using phony mediums or fancy equipment. But with that came the price of her privacy. It was pretty common for her to be cleaning the fog off of the mirror after a shower and see a face behind her. Really, it'd happened more than once.

So Heather wasn't really surprised when she put the milk back in the fridge and closed the door to find a woman staring at her. The woman looked at her with wide dark eyes, before saying in rough voice, "Find my son." Heather's eyebrows furrowed in confusion, but before she could say anything, the woman repeated herself - "Find my son" - and disappeared completely. 

Favors - now that was a new one. Unfortunately, the woman hadn't left her name or her son's and, after a week, Heather had a feeling that the woman wasn't coming back.

Boy, was she wrong.

Almost two weeks after the woman's first appearance, Heather, while walking into her apartment with an armful of groceries, was met with the sight of the lady-with-a-missing-son. "Hi," Heather said simply, before walking past her into the kitchen. She put the bag down on the counter before turning to face the woman. Now that she wasn't leaving within five seconds of them meeting, Heather finally looked over her features.

The woman was average height but terribly thin. She had a tan face and short curly dark hair that was pulled back and mostly hidden under a scarf of some sort. She wore an older looking dress, probably around twenty or so years old, but it was stained with blood that covered nearly all of her chest and - 

A Star of David.

Something twisted in her gut at the sight of it, remembering her older brother telling her horror stories of the bodies he saw while fighting in Germany.

"You died in the Holocaust, didn't you?" She made her voice as soft and polite as she could, but the woman still sighed deeply, almost like it pained her. "Yes," She answered, her voice heavy with a familiar accent, "I did." They were silent for a second, before the woman added, "Please find my son."

Ah - the favor again. "Ma'am, I don't - "

"Please find my son."

"I - " And soon enough, Heather was looking at nothing but air. She let out a frustrated sigh, silently cursing whoever thought that mediumship was fun, before turning to put her groceries away. Later that night, while curling up under her covers, her thoughts returned back to the Jewish woman. Had her son died too? Had they been separated? Why did the woman always have to leave so suddenly? Pushing those thoughts aside, she squeezed her eyes closed and became determined to get a full night of sleep. And she did.

Almost.

In the early morning hours, Heather woke up, needing to use the restroom. Yawning, she slowly sat up and walked through her bedroom door, rubbing her eyes. But when she blinked, she was standing in front of a cemetery, the breeze chilly on her bare shoulders. Ah - yet another fun thing ghosts could do. They could put her in fugue state and make her walk wherever they wanted. Which today returned out to be the freaking cemetery. Perfect.

Looking behind her and seeing no one, Heather crossed her arms and began walking slowly through the gate of the graveyard. She walked a little further before she saw a familiar looking shadow sitting by one of the gravestones. She was silent as she approached only saying a word when she was by the woman's side. "Are you buried here?"

The woman looked up from the wet grass with a small smile, responding, "No, liebe. I'm buried in Germany, but I thought you'd prefer staying a little closer to home." Heather snorted, before shivering and rubbing her forearms briefly. "And why exactly did you bring me out to the freezing cemetery at 2:30 in the morning?"

"I wanted to talk to you."

"And we couldn't have done that at my house?"

"I wanted to make a statement."

A ghost with style - how beautiful. Heather let out a breath, before responding, "I don't do favors, ma'am. I'm sorry, but I can't help you." The woman's eyes narrowed. "You can't or you won't?" Heather wanted to give her a dirty look, but tried to stay polite. "I can't. Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to go home." The woman rolled her eyes, but disappeared and she started to make way back home.

She thought that that would be the last time she'd see the Jewish woman. Of course, she was wrong.

The woman was everywhere after that. The library, the grocery store, the theatre, her favorite diner, her apartment - especially her bedroom, while she was trying to sleep. While it normally wouldn't bother her, the woman had an aura that made Heather nervous and a lot like a small kid again. Not to mention the woman loved singing while she tried to sleep.

Heather was strong. She could handle this. In a week or two, the woman would get bored and move on to some other medium. But she didn't. A week later, Heather was going insane. She had no sleep under her belt and she had more paranoia than the entire United States government.

And one night, with her face pressed against her pillow and her hands covering her ears, the sound of the Jewish woman singing in an annoying voice - the song was in German but Heather could just tell it was some kind of annoying children's rhyme - finally got to her. "Fine!" She screamed, the voice finally - and blissfully - stopping as she threw herself upwards to glare daggers at the woman. "For the love of god, fine! I'll help you just please, please never sing that song ever again."

The smirk on the woman's face almost had Heather screaming again, but she stayed where she was. "Now, are you going to give me a few details before you send me off on a wild goose chase?"

"My name is Edie. Edie Lehnsherr. My son's name is Erik Lehnsherr."

"Do you know where he lives?"

There was silence, before Heather covered her face with her hands, sighing loudly. "You don't know where he lives, do you?" She took the silence as a 'I-don't-know' and let out another sigh, deciding that she really hated life.


	2. Chapter 2

"Where are we going?"

Heather jumped slightly at the sudden appearance, closing her eyes and breathing deeply as she counted to ten in an attempt to calm herself and not try to strangle the ghost. With her hands gripping the steering wheel tightly, she opened her eyes and turned her head to look over at Edie. "You want to not scare me to death next time?" Heather asked, her voice full of annoyance, "What if I had already been driving? I would be - "

"Are you going to lecture me or are you going to start the car?" The look on Heather's face was less than impressed, but she turned the keys anyway, the engine coming to life with a click. As she reversed out of the parking lot, Edie continued, "You never answered my question." Heather was silent for a moment, focusing on the road instead of the question at hand, before finally answering. "We're going to see my friend."

Edie raised her eyebrow, questioning her further, "A friend?"

"Yes, a friend who could help us with our little Erik problem."

Edie visibly relaxed upon hearing the statement, a soft smile gracing her face, and for a moment, Heather couldn't help but smile a little too. "I can't promise that he'll be able to help," she added, because she'd hate to get this woman's hopes up, "All I can promise is that he'll try his hardest. Or at least I'll make him." Edie glanced at her in confusion, but stayed silent, only nodding slightly.

The two rode in silence the rest of the way before they finally arrived at a large, concrete buildings with many tiny windows. As they pulled into the parking garage, Edie squinted out the window, confusion evident on her face as she asked, "What is this place?"

"It's the Department of Justice building, but it's basically the FBI headquarters," Heather responded as she parked and turned off the engine, while Edie looked surprised by what she had just heard and continued to gap. "The FBI? Your friend is part of the FBI?" Heather moved quickly out of the car, slamming her door shut as she went. "Pretty much. Not come on, we don't have all day."

There was no noise to tell Heather that Edie had exited that vehicle or was even following, but the intense presence behind her was hint that she was there. Entering the building through the visitor door, they were greeted by the noisy main hall, full of busy lawyers, paralegals and agents. Heather made her way through the crowd easily before finally approaching the main desk. She put on her sweetest, most charming smile and spoke politely to the woman. "I'm here to see Special Agent Joseph Moran."

The woman pushed her cat eye glasses up to the bridge of her nose, before asking, "Do you have an appointment to see him, hun?" Heather's smile changed to an apologetic one. "I'm afraid not. But if you call him, he'll probably let me up."

"Alright, name?"

"Heather. Heather Coleman."

"Okay, well, I'll call up and see. There's a few chairs over there if you wanna wait." Heather thanked her, before going to sit down, her head already hurting from the noise the crowd was creating. "Are you sure he'll let you up there?" Heather snorted upon hearing that, glancing over at where Edie was currently seating. "Of course he will. We've been friends since we were in diapers."

"Miss Coleman?" Heather looked back at Edie with a smirk, simply saying "That should be him" before standing and walking to the front desk. The woman cleared Heather to go up, signalling one of the guards to guide her up to Agent Moran's office. The ride up the elevator was silent and slightly uncomfortable, but thankfully short, and soon they were on the correct floor. The guard motioned for Heather to follow him and she did so obediently. They passed by many offices and other agents, before finally reaching Moran's, where the guard nodded at her to go in briefly before turning to leave.

Heather entered the room without knocking or hesitance and was almost immediately picked up in a bearhug. "Hey, Feather, it's so great to see you," Joey laughed, swinging her around happily, and Heather couldn't help but laugh too. "Great to see you too, Joey."

Once he put her down, Heather finally got a good look at him. He was a very tall man, several inches over 6 foot, and was still rather lean, but, while he was no doubt handsome, he had a rather babyish looking face, almost as if a toddler had taken steroids. "So," he asked, "What brings you here today?"

"I need a favor." Joey's eyebrows furrowed questionably, opening his mouth to ask further, but Heather beat him to it. "And no, it's not about drugs. Or...anything like that. I just - I need you to help me find someone."

"Look, Heather, I'm not a matchmak - "

"Not like that," Heather nearly shrieked, "I mean I need you to help me locate a person." Joey visibly relaxed, but kept his cool. "Is this person missing?"

"No - yes - no. I don't know." Joey raised an eyebrow, but Heather continued, "I just - a friend of mine is looking for her son. They were - separated during the Holocaust and she thinks he came here." Joey's eyes softened. "Feather, as good of a cause as that is - " Oh no " - you know I can't go digging around in other people's files." Normally, Heather would have taken the no and left but - 

She could feel Edie's presence and - she couldn't let this woman suffer any longer. Ah - screw morals. "Please, Joey," Heather pushed, "You're my best friend. I'll do anything. Please, you just - you gotta help me with this. What if you lost your son? How would you feel?"

"I don't have a son - "

"Whatever, just pretend you do. I just want to help her find him. I'm not going to steal his social security number or anything. I just want to reunite two family members who have no else in the world besides the other." 

Joey was silent for a moment, before looking a loud, over dramatic sigh. "I'll see what I can do - " Heather was already moving forward to throw her arms around him, a wide smile on her face, "Thank you so much, Joey - " But he stopped her, adding, " - But it's going to cost you."

Heather rolled her eyes, "Fine, fine. Anything you want. Besides a date because you're like my brother, Joey." Joey put a hand over his heart, as though he had been hurt, letting out another loud, mournful sigh, "Oh, however shall I go on?" With a sharp slap to his shoulder, Joey snickered, before responding, "I was thinking more in terms of money anyway."

Of course. "How much were you - "

"Fifty." Heather raised an eyebrow at the man in front of her. "Just fifty? I would have thought you'd want, I don't know, more." Joey winked at her, saying, "It's not every day I get to break the law. Now what's this little tikes' name?"

"Erik Lehnsherr."

Once Joey left his office to go dig through some files, Heather was left alone for a long time before Edie appeared, a tenderness in her expression that Heather had never seen before. "Thank you," Edie said at last. Heather looked at her in confusion from where she was seated, asking, "Why are you thanking me? We haven't even found him yet."

"You're trying though. And that's very important to me." Heather shrugged, simply saying, "It's nothing - "

"No, it's not just "nothing" to me. You're helping me find my boy after so many years. That's - it's everything." Heather felt her throat tightening, the thoughts 'This is what a mother's supposed to be' and 'This is the mother I want' swirling around in her head, before she let out a shaky laugh. "I didn't know moms were like this," She finally responded.

The look on Edie's face was a little concerned as she asked, "Like what?" Heather waved at her, answering, "So - I don't know, protective? Willing to go to the edge of the world and back for their kids?" Edie moved closer to her and opened her mouth to say something, but was interrupted by the door of Joey's office opening.

"I think I found something."


	3. Chapter 3

Heather turned around immediately to face Joey, trying desperately to hide her blush. What if he had been standing there the whole time? She questioned, her stomach somersaulting at the thought. What if he thinks I'm crazy? But if Joey had noticed anything out of the ordinary, he didn't say a word.

Instead he walked over to his desk, waving a simple, beige folder around and motioning for Heather to come forward. "There was only one Erik Lehnsherr registered in the system, so either this is the right guy or you're out of luck." Heather nodded in understanding, before silently taking the folder out of his hands and opening it. Within, there were a couple of white sheets full of information and she flipped through them absentmindedly before she came across a picture.

Erik was quite an attractive man with fair skin, grayish-blue eyes, and short, ruffled brownish hair. While Heather was studying the picture, she felt Edie appear behind her and look over her shoulder, before hearing a quick in take of breath and Edie whispering, "That's him." Hearing that, Heather didn't even look up at Joey as she stated, "This is him." Flipping back to the sheets in the front, she slimmed through to find an address or a location of some sort.

"Westchester County, New York..." Heather mumbled to herself in disbelief. For the love of god, the guy lived 4 hours away from Washington DC. Heather - who hated long distance traveling - groaned internally, before finally looking up at Joey, who had been silently watching her. "Is it a possibility for me to take this with me?"

"No can do, Feather. Boss could kick my ass for just thinking about a file not included in my case. Can you imagine what he'd do if it went missing?"

Heather opened her mouth to speak, but Joey continued, "But because you're my best friend - "

" - I'm your only friend - "

" - Hurtful. I'll let you write down whatever you need." Joey tossed her a pen and scrap paper, and Heather quickly scribbled down the address of where Erik was currently living. Folding it up, she slipped it into her purse before turning to face Joey. "Thank you so much, Joey. You're a life saver." Joey gave her a smug smirk, responding, "Yeah, I know. I'm the best." Heather rolled her eyes, but still pulled him in for a big hug.

I'm sorry that I'm using you, she wanted to say, as she tightened her arms around his waist, I'm sorry I can't tell you the truth.

_-_-_

Heather sat in her car for a full 2 minutes before Edie finally appeared, a curious look on her face. "When are we planning to head to Westchester County?" Heather looked over at the woman, replying, "As soon as I can find the next bus to New York."

"Why don't you just drive?"

"I hate driving out of state. It - makes me nervous, like what if a ghost pops up and I get in a wreck or something? I can't really help anyone if I'm dead too, you know?"

Edie nodded calmly, leaning back against the car seat with her eyes closed, looking as if she was relaxed and worry free. "Are you going to start the car anytime soon?"

"Just - give me a minute."

Silence. And then - "Are you also going to tell me what you meant by 'I didn't know moms were like this'?"

Heather swore for a moment that her heart stopped. She sat there, frozen, wondering what to do or what to even say. Do I tell her the truth? Do I lie? Do I tell her its none of her business? No, no, not after everything she'd been through, she didn't deserve to closed off like that. Plus she had seen (and heard) what this woman was willing to do to get what she wanted. And she had a 4 hour ride ahead of her. After a moment of thought, she replied in a soft voice, "I had a pretty bad mom. She, uh, never really wanted kids, especially one who saw dead people. She pretty much ignored me, except for when she needed someone to scream at." Or hit, but Heather didn't add that. No need to make it seem worse.

Hearing a huff, Heather looked over at Edie, who was now sitting up with an expression was so angry that she was glad she wasn't her mother. "How could a mother just do that to her child? It shouldn't matter if your baby is a mutant or not, they're still - "

"Edie," Heather said loudly, getting her attention, "I know that. You know that. It doesn't matter. It's in the past." Edie looked like she wanted to argue further, but she simply sighed, leaning back against the car seat again. Heather started the car and began backing out of the parking spot, when Edie's words hit her. Mutant. How did Edie know about mutants? Had she been one?

"So - the whole mutants thing. Were you - "

"No, I wasn't," Edie replied easily, before adding, "But Erik was. He could - control metal, but it was hard for him to do at times." The mood in the car suddenly turned sad and Edie looked out the window, the look of a kicked puppy in her eyes, so Heather decided not to press further.

_-_-_

At home, Heather quickly packed a total of 2 days worth of clothing after deciding that she wasn't going to stay long after reuniting Erik and Edie. After all, it wasn't her place to intrude on their lives. Thankfully, Heather arrived just in time to catch the last NY bus of the day and, after finding her seat, decided that now would be the perfect chance to catch up on a few much needed z's.

And it turned out that Edie was willing to let her - to the point of Heather nearly missing her stop.

"Wha?" Heather slurred, as someone kept speaking in her ear. "Heather, our stop is coming up in 5 minutes. Wake up." Heather opened her eyes, blinking groggily before squinting out the window. "What - I slept the whole ride?" She questioned in disbelief, as she reached down and pulled her bag on her lap. She made sure to keep her voice low because, even though none of the people around her were paying attention, it would still be creepy to over hear a girl talking to herself.

"Yeah," Edie laughed, "I was afraid for a moment that you were dead." Heather rolled her eyes playfully, before the bus came to a complete stop. Exiting the bus, Heather finally glanced down at her watch and noticed that it was a little after 11 pm, and decided that her best bet was to check into a hotel for the night. "We'll head out to find Erik tomorrow morning," she explained to Edie as the two made their way out of the bus stop, "But, for now, I'm going to find somewhere to stay."

The hotel she found was cheap and pretty simple looking, though she was terribly creeped out when the old man at the front desk kept staring at her with hungry eyes. She defiantly made sure to lock her door after that.


	4. Chapter 4

Standing in front of the mirror, trying to figure out what the hell to do with her limp hair, was when Heather realized that she had no idea what to even say to Erik. Dear god, had she just planned to burst in and say what, exactly? 'I see dead people.' 'Surprise, your mom's a ghost.' 'Your mother is an insanely determined woman.' This guy was going to think that she belonged in the insane asylum. Not to mention the fact that this could cause the poor guy even more sadness than it was worth.

What if he didn't even want to be found?

Perfect. Now that she was so close to finding Erik, her common sense was beginning to return. Heather let out a sigh, realizing that it was too late to back out, that she had no choice but to go through it. For Edie. For Erik.

Heather ran her fingers through her tragically straight brown hair, looking at it with resentment, before walking over to the bed to dig through her bag for a headband. Thinking it, she let out a victorious hum before returning to the mirror and put it across her forehead, pushing back over her hair. Tucking it behind her ears, she took a step back to examine her handiwork. 

She noticed the dark, heavy bags under her dark brown - so dark they were almost black - eyes and soon cursed herself for not remembering to grab some makeup or something to cover them up because she looked like she was suffering from a goddamn hangover.

Not to mention that her shirt looked like something the pilgrims would wear.

This was going to be a great day.

"Are you ready to go, liebe?" Heather had noticed Edie standing behind her, the mirror reflecting her thin face, and thankfully didn't suffer from a heart attack at the ghost's sudden appearance. "Yeah, yeah, I am," She said, turning to look back at the woman, "Just let me grab my bag and we'll be off." Edie simply nodded and waited quietly as Heather grabbed the bag quickly and exited the room, key in hand. The two were silent on their walk through the hallway, before Edie finally broke the silence. "So, are you nervous?"

"No. Maybe. Yes," Heather laughed breathlessly, "To be honest, I'm terrified. I'm - not good with people. After all, my company is usually either Joey or, you know, dead." Edie gave her a small smile, obviously not trying to laugh, "You'll be fine. Just try to be yourself - " Heather snorted at that, but Edie gave her sharp look, before continuing, " - And don't panic."

"What if he doesn't believe me?"

"I could always tell you some of his embarrassing baby stories. I feel like that would be very convincing."

Heather, surprised, choked a little bit at that comment, replying with "We'll count that as Plan B for now." Silence fell over them again, as they began to climb down the stairs, before she finally asked, "How can you be so calm?" Edie turned to look at her, the smile not fully reaching her eyes. "Oh, I am. Don't worry, I am. Just the possibility of seeing him after all this time, to see the man he's become - well, it overlaps the fear." Heather opened her mouth, stunned by the woman's words. That was - no words could really describe it. It made her almost proud to have taken the job, to give this woman and her boy together at last - 

"Plus I'm not the one that has to explain this all to him."

Great.

-_-_

"I really wish you would have taken the car."

Heather resisted the very strong urge to glare at Edie as the two walked along a dirt road. "You don't even get tired," She snapped, "You weren't even here for the last 4 miles." The look Edie gave her said something along the lines of 'what's your point' and Heather just decided that it was pointless to argue further, dropping the topic quickly.

Edie suddenly stopped, her eyes squinting as she gazed ahead of them. "What? What's wrong?" Heather asked curiously. "There's a lane up ahead. 1407 Graymalkin Lane is the address we need, yeah?" Heather's stomach did somersaults, relieved and terrified to have found the damned place. "Yeah, it is. How much farther?"

"Not too far. Hurry up, let's go." Edie disappeared again and Heather growled - a noise that didn't sound intimidating, instead sounding like she was choking - as she continued to walk on.

Ghosts these days.

-_-_

When Heather first saw the house - more like castle, holy shit - her jaw nearly hit the ground. Never in her life had she seen a house - that a president didn't live in - that looked so huge or so elegant. 'Damn,' she thought to herself, as she walked up the cement steps of the mansion, 'Erik found a pretty great place to live.'

She stood in front of the wooden doors for a moment, raising her fist slowly, hesitating, before banging it against the wood. 'Alright,' she thought to herself as she stepped back to wait. 'I'll just - talk to Erik, tell him the truth, then go home and curl up in a fuzzy blanket and mourn over my non existent social life,' she thought, trying to calm her breathing, 'Everything will be fine, everything will be fine, everything will be - 

The man answering was not Erik.

\- Not fine.

The man was around her height, maybe a little shorter, but none the less around her age. He had wavy brown hair and the brightest blue eyes - like holy shit, man - and he was staring at her expectantly and oh my god, did she not think of the possibility that Erik wasn't alone? The man gave her a kind, small smile, but his eyes said 'why the hell is this girl on my porch not saying anything?'

Heather opened her mouth, but she was at a loss of words. 'Say something, you idiot', she shrieked inside of her head, 'Don't just stand there!' So she did. Or at least tried to. "Uh," she began, trying to find something not totally embarrassing to say, something that would smooth over the awkwardness, something that wouldn't make her want to jump off a cliff, "Uh, hi."

Where's the nearest cliff?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heather is basically the Moon Moon of mutants.


	5. Chapter 5

All Heather wanted to do was abort the goddamn mission and go crawl under a rock and ponder over how she even maintained to survive the last 25 years of her life. But she couldn't do that because the man was still staring straight into her eyes - into her freaking soul - with the most confused look she'd ever seen and - and she couldn't just quit on Edie or Erik. They needed her. Even if she was the most awkward thing to grace the earth, and even if there was a possibility that instead of helping, she really could just be hurting one by rubbing salt on his wounds.

The man continued to stare at her, before his nervous smile returned and he replied in what sounded like a British accent, "Hello there. Can I, uh, help you with something?"

Wow, if some weird pilgrim girl was on Heather's front porch and not saying a word, she would have shut the door and called the police by now. So - maybe this was a good sign. She took a deep breath and nearly cried in relief when words - real words - came out of her mouth. "Is Erik Lehnsherr here?"

The man blinked in surprise, responding, "Yes, he - "

Heather honestly didn't to interrupt or seem rude, but when the word "yes" came out of his mouth, Edie's presence behind her intensified and something - power maybe? she had no clue - surged through her and she blurted out, "Could I come in? To talk to him?" Her cheeks heated up slightly, as she added, "Sorry, it's - just very important that I speak to him."

The man nodded after a few seconds, beckoning her inside. She gulped, stepping over the threshold, and looked around, taking in her surrounding. The inside of the house, while very elegant and beautiful, didn't look cozy nor did it look very lived in with dust collecting on a few surfaces and some random cardboard boxes scattered through the main hall. "Do you mind me asking what your name is?"

"No, not at all," Heather replied, trying her best to sound polite while also trying not to hyperventilate, "I'm Heather Coleman."

The man's nervous smile relaxed into a much more normal and natural one. "Charles. Charles Xavier." He held out his hand for her to shake and Heather stared at it for a moment, heart beating wildly against her rib cage - humancontacthumancontactohgod - before surprising herself by taking it calmly and shaking it firmly instead of, you know, continuing to stare at it in fear. He released her hand after a few seconds before beckoning her once more to follow him. Charles lead her a few feet down the hall before walking through a wide entryway into what appeared to be a sitting room.

He motioned for her to sit, simply saying "I'll be right back" before disappearing down the hall. Heather let out a huff of relief and continued to stand for a moment, examining the bright room, shielding her eyes from the sunlight that flooded in through the large windows, before moving carefully over to the vintage looking couch. Once seated, Heather crossed her legs, straightened her headband, fixed the collar on her shirt, smoothed down her skirt, cracked her knuckles - 

"Will you stop fidgeting?"

Heather glanced at Edie, who was standing in the entryway, watching her, before replying, trying to keep her voice soft, "Sorry. I normally don't - I guess I'm just really nervous." 

Edie's face softened. "Oh, liebe, don't worry. If things start to go back, I'll help you. I won't leave you alone." Something in Heather's gut twisted painfully upon hearing that, but she still smiled thankfully at the woman. She opened her mouth to respond, but the sound of footsteps approaching the room became even more evident and oh god oh god oh god she wasn't ready - 

Though his hair was straighter than it had been in the photo and he looked like ten times more irritated now, the man standing beside Charles was definitely Erik Lehnsherr. Out of the corner of her eye, Heather could see Edie covering her mouth with her hand shakily and if she looked closer, she could the tears shining in the woman's eyes. 

"You, uh, may want to sit down."

Erik glanced at Charles, his eyebrows furrowing slightly, before Charles obeyed, moving to sit in one of the chairs nearby while Erik, however, remained standing, instead choosing to lean against a wall. With both of them looking at her expectantly and with no idea of how to start out, Heather - who had gone from no words to word vomit - blurted out, "I know you're a mutant."

Both of their eyes widened and they both opened their mouths, but before they could get any words out, Heather continued, wincing slightly at her stupid opening. "B-but I'm a mutant too, so don't - freak out or anything." They both visibly relaxed at that, though they still looked on the edge of their seats - literally and figuratively. "My mutation - it, uh, lets me see and hear dead people."

Erik's eyebrows rose, while Charles leaned forward, looking rather interested in what she had to say. "Like mediumship?" He offered, to which Heather nodded at. "Exactly, but - "

"Can you only see the souls of the deceased, or can you see the livings' souls too?"

Erik looked at Charles in confusion, but Heather understood what he meant. "Not as clearly as I see the deceased," she admitted, "With the dead - it's like seeing a normal person but with a living person - " She stopped, trying to think of the words to describe it, " - I have to focus more and it's like seeing - orbs, I guess."

Charles looked rather impressed at that. "Fascinating." He commented, and opened his mouth to continue, but Heather stopped him. "I - I'll explain my powers more later. But for now - " She turned to look at Erik, who looked surprised that the attention that been turned to him, " - I came here on some important business."

Here goes nothing. "Erik, your mother asked me to find you."

Erik froze for a moment, his eyes searching Heather's face for a sign that she was lying, that it was all a joke. But seeing none, several different expression appeared and disappeared on his face - surprise, pain, grief - before finally stopping on pissed off. Shit, Heather briefly thought, glancing over to make sure that Edie was right beside her - 

"You think you're funny, don't you?" Erik hissed, pushing off of the wall to stalk towards her, "You think you're just the smartest person, don't you?" Oh god, oh god, the plan was backfiring. Heather stared at him in complete shock, not knowing what to do - she didn't even have a plan to begin with, but never had she even thought - 

"Erik," Charles began, his voice low and calming, but that didn't stop him. Metal objects around the room began to pulse and shake angrily, much to Heather and Charles' horror.

"Is pretending to hear ghosts fun? Is giving people false hope exciting for you? Is - "

"Erik!" 

"His middle name is Magnus."

Heather whipped around to face Edie, the "What?" slipping out of her mouth before she could stop herself. Both Erik and Charles quieted at that, looking at her puzzledly. "His middle name is Magnus," Edie repeated, "Tell him - we'll prove it to him." Heather stared at her for a moment and said, "Magnus. That - that's your middle name."

Erik stepped back at that, his mouth opening, but no sound coming out. The metal stilled around the room and Heather let out a shaky sigh of relief. "He found a dog when he was 6 and - he named it 'Spot'," Edie said fondly, "I - I hated that verdammt dog, but Jakob let him keep it."

"Spot. You found him when you were a kid and your mom hated him."

Charles looked between Erik and Heather in confusion, but Erik continued to stare at her, his eyes looking a little blurry. "When he was a baby," Edie added, her voice cracking, "He was a very fussy baby. At night, he would just wail and screech, and our neighbors - " She paused to laugh, wiping away some tears that had fallen, " - they would get so mad at us."

Heather's throat tightened as she repeated, "You - you were a fussy baby and you kept the neighbors up with your screams." Silence filled the room as Erik's gaze dropped from Heather to the floor, his hands clenching and unclenching beside him. Heather wished she could give him a hug, give him some kind of comfort, but before she could stand, Edie disappeared and reappeared beside her son. She hesitated before wrapping her arms around him, only for them to go through him, much to her sadness, but Erik shuddered at the sudden coldness. 

"She's telling the truth."

Three pairs of eyes moved to look at Charles, who in turn looked at Erik with astonishment in his eyes. "I read her mind," He explained, "She's - she's not lying. Your mother - " He glanced over at where Edie was currently standing, Erik's eyes following his gaze. 

"Wait, read my mind?"

"Sorry, darling, I don't normally do that without permission, but I just needed to clarify that you weren't lying." Heather stared at him with wide eyes, before nodding slowly. A telepath, a medium, and a metal manipulator all in the same room. Crazy.

It was silent for another moment, before Charles softly murmured to Erik, "I need to speak with you." Erik stayed only for a few more seconds then nodded slowly and followed him out of the room. Heather collapsed on the couch in exhaustion, letting out the breath she didn't know she had been holding. "Edie, that was - you did it. Oh my god, you did it."

Edie turned to look at her, her own eyes shining with unshed tears. But there was a sincere smile on the woman's face - something that Heather knew hadn't been seen for a long time. "We did it," she corrected, "Thank you, Heather. Thank you for bringing me to my baby." Before she could say anything more, Charles and Erik reentered the room.

The tears had disappeared from Erik's eyes, but he looked more focused, more relaxed. "We're been looking for mutants for quite some time," Charles began, "A man named Sebastian Shaw - " At that name, Edie let out a growl that sounded ten times more intimidating than Heather's. But it also was powerful enough that both Erik and Charles heard it. The men jumped, looking at Heather in horror, who simply waved for Charles to continue.

"It's just Edie. Go on it."

Charles was silent for a moment, before continuing, "Well, long story short, he's mutant extremist who wishes to start a nuclear World War III to insure that only mutants survive. And he intents to do this by having the USSR install missiles in - "

" - Cuba," Heather mumbled, her eyebrows furrowing. "I - remember hearing something on the news about that. The missile crisis." Charles nodded gravely. "But you two aren't going after him are you?" Charles and Erik glanced at each other, and Heather's heart skipped a beat in fear as she continued, "You - you can't possibly do this alone. That man probably has others with him, you wouldn't - "

"It's not just us," Erik clarified, "We've recruited others." Heather's mouth opened in an 'O' shape, her cheeks burning slightly in embarrassment. "We need all the mutants we can get," Charles added, and oh god, was he really asking what she thought he was?

"I don't - I'm not a really good fighter," Heather admitted, but Charles shook his head, chuckling softly. "We can train you. Plus, you never know what your mutation could unlock." She stared at them for a moment, thinking over the decision. She could do it. It wasn't like she had anything left in Washington, D.C..

But what about Joey?

Joey wasn't a mutant, Joey couldn't join her here. That - that was pretty good reason to go home. Joey had been there when her brother died, when her parents died, and she had been there when Joey's father had left him and his mother to raise 6 other children. They were each other's support system. She couldn't - she couldn't just leave him there alone. Another good reason - she didn't owe these people anything. She had promised Edie to find her son, not to join a war. But - 

These people were mutants, like her. They would understand her in ways that a human like Joey never could. Plus, it wasn't like she was going to stay forever. She just needed to help them stop this Shaw man, and then she could return to her normal life. Or at least try to. And if the nuclear war was a success and they were right, well, there wouldn't be a Joey to care about.

Heather sat there in silence for at least five minutes, before she looked up at the men and said, "Where do I sign up?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The ending was sort of rushed, so sorry about that, guys.
> 
> Also, this chapter was supposed to come out earlier this week, but work and Tumblr set me back. Like a lot.
> 
> You can totally come and bug me for updates on my Tumblr, foreverargxnt.


	6. Chapter 6

Once the door was closed, Heather began to examine the room that she would be staying in for the time being. The room was probably the most simple that she had seen in her time at the mansion; There was a loveseat with a small, plain coffee table on one end of the room, while a large bed sat on the other. There were two large windows across from the door and when Heather walked over and pulled back the drapes to look outside, light flooded into the dark, cold room.   
  
Honestly, it appeared that no one had lived in room since - well, never. But - that was okay with her. It meant that she could finally get some sleep without someone who died in the room waking her up in the middle of the night. She knew that there were other ghosts in the house - she had caught glances of him out of the corner of her eyes while on the tour - but none of them had died in the room and that was a relief. Maybe Charles had considered her sensitivity when he told her which room was her's.  
  
Or perhaps he just didn't want anyone in one of those rooms.    
  
Either way, the room was blissfully quiet. So quiet that, while seating on one of the window seats and staring out at the yard, she was finally able to collect her thoughts from the rest of her hectic day.  
 

* * *

   
"What do you mean you're staying in New York?"  
  
Heather let out a sigh as she leaned against the wall, the phone still grasped firmly in her hand. After her discussion with Erik and Charles, she had asked to call Joey and explain the situation - well, as much of it as she could. "I'm still looking for Erik," she lied through her teeth, "I just need a few more days to find him. Or weeks."  
  
"Weeks?" She could hear the utter shock in his voice, but before she could say anything, he continued, "Feather, I don't know. Do you want me to come up there with you? I can always use my vacation days."  
  
"You used up all of your vacation days," she pointed out, "Besides, I'll be fine. I just need you to watch my apartment and check my mail - you know, stuff like that." Joey was silent for a moment and Heather briefly wondered if she had lost the call. "You're not in trouble, are you?" He asked eventually, his voice soft on the other line.  
  
Heather couldn't help but let out a laugh, her fingers swirling the cord connecting the phone to the wall jack. "No, I'm not. And if I was, you'd be the first person I'd call." There was silence once more, then - A defeated sigh came from the other line and Heather could almost see him running his fingers through his hair. "Just call me, if you need anything - "  
  
" - I will, I will - "  
  
" - No," Joey's voice was suddenly very serious, "I'm not kidding, Heather. If you need anything - anything at all - just call me and I'll be there as fast as I can. No 'ifs', 'ands', and 'buts' about it. Got it?" Heather's throat tightened with emotion, as she gulped and replied, "Got it." She waited a few seconds before adding, "I - I have to go. I'll talk to later."  
  
"Okay. Try to stay out of trouble, Coleman." The teasing tone was slowly beginning to return to Joey's voice, and it made Heather feel - lighter, like a weight had been lifted off of her. "You too, Moran," she responded with, before returning the plastic phone to the jack, the soft click signaling the end of the call.  
 

* * *

  
Soon after the end of her call, Heather returned to the sitting room to find five other people - besides Charles and Erik - within. The talking ceased and all eyes turned to her, which honestly make her want to just make back away from the crowd. Sensing her discomfort, Charles stood up and stepped forward, mentioning her to come closer.  
  
She hesitated for a moment, before making her way towards him, not looking any of the others directly in the eyes. She may not have known Charles for very long, but she still knew him and that make her a lot more comfortable around them than, well, any of the others. "This is Heather," he announced to the others, before glancing back at her, "And Heather, this is - "  
  
" - Moira - " The brown haired woman gave her a once over, the cautiousness and suspicion never leaving her eyes.   
  
" - Raven - " The girl with honey colored curls looked young enough to be a teenager, but she still gave her a friendly smile.   
  
" - Alex - " The blonde haired boy crossed his arms, a look saying 'I-could-care-less' crossing his boyish face.  
  
" - Sean - " The redheaded boy gave a simple, yet awkward wave.  
  
" - Hank - " The man pushed up his thick framed glasses, before giving her a small smile.   
  
" - And you already know Erik and I." Erik gave her an amused smirk from where he was standing. "Nice to meet you all," Heather said a little breathlessly, trying to make note of each of their names - while also trying to avoid Moira's gaze. "So," Raven asked, stepping forward, "What's your ability?"  
  
"I, uh - " For a moment, Heather panicked. What if they didn't accept her like Charles did? What if they were afraid - even disgusted - by her power? She knew it was stupid, but you'd be surprised by how many people were uncomfortable with her gift. "I can see and talk to dead people," she explained finally, stepping back slightly, as if preparing for a hit.   
  
Raven's eyes widened in astonishment and the rest of them looked at her with a new curiosity - even Alex looked a little interested. "Is there more to it than just that?" Moira questioned calmly, and Heather shrugged. "Yeah, I guess so. I've just never really - messed around with my powers before." Charles put a hand on her shoulder and said, "That's what we're here for. To help you uncover more about your powers."  
  
"I thought we were here to fight Shaw."  
  
The look Charles gave Sean was so unimpressed that even Heather had to laugh. As Charles stepped away from her, Raven came closer and - something about her just made Heather feel calm and relaxed, like she was with a close friend instead of a girl she barely knew. She could honestly see herself being friends with this girls. "Come on," she said, pulling Heather along, "I'll give you the tour."  
 

* * *

  
On the tour was when Heather first caught some passing glances of a few ghost roaming the halls. Whenever she'd turn to get a good look at them, however, they were gone - almost as if they were never there. She tried not to dwell on the matter though - instead focusing on Raven, who was kindly explaining anything and everything that Heather asked. By the end of it, she was pretty well educated on what exactly was going on with their mission, as well as the powers of the others.   
  
"Could you show me?"  
  
Raven stopped and turned around to look at Heather with a confused expression. "Show you what?" Honestly, Heather didn't mean for it to slip out, but she was curious. "Your natural form," she explained, cheeks reddening in embarrassment, "I mean, only if you want to." Some expression passed over Raven's face, before she nodded and changed rather gracefully. It wasn't what Heather had really expected. Her skin was blue and scaly, her eyes yellow, and her hair red, but - it was still Raven. The shape of her face, the small smile - it was all her.   
  
Heather gave her a wide smile, replying, "That's so cool." Raven blinked in surprise, as her body changed back to her human-like appearance. "You're not - " Raven may have appeared surprised, but a look of relief crossed her face. "Scared of you?" Heather finished, "Of course not."  
  
Raven's blinding smile returned and she almost looked like she wanted to swirl Heather around in the air. "Can you show me how to talk to ghosts?" She asked after a moment. Heather glanced around, before shaking her head. "There's no ghost around here at this moment," She explained, "But when I find one, I'll come to you."  
  
"There's one here?" Raven asked, her eyes widening.  
  
"Actually, there's a few of them in the mansion."  
  
"Oh, wow," Raven whistled, before turning and asking, "Wait, does everyone stay behind as a ghost?"  
  
Once more Heather shook her head. "No, mainly it's just people who have things left to do or people who died suddenly." Raven thought over that for a while, before her smile returned and waved  her on so that they could continue on their tour.  
 

* * *

  
Once night started to fall, Heather let out a sigh and stand up, walking away from the window. She had promised the others that she would be done later after she finished unpacking what little things she had (when she explained that she didn't have any clean clothing, as she didn't except to stay all, Raven had immediately volunteered to let her borrow some of her clothing). Digging through her bag, she found something she had forgotten all about - her blanket.   
  
The blanket had been made by her grandmother before she had died and was rather small - seeing as she had been two years old at the time - but still was very soft and comfy. The blanket was a dull red and had a picture of Raggedy Ann on it, and just the appearance of it made Heather feel too old for it. But she still held it to her chest and buried her face in it.   
  
There was the overpowering musky smell of her closet on it, but she could almost smell her father's cologne - a distant memory by now - on, and in an instant, there was a heavyweight in her stomach and she began to realize how homesick  she really was.  
  
A sudden cry made her look up in surprise. But - it wasn't just any cry.  
  
It was a baby's cry.  
  
Heather stood slowly, listening closely as the faint wailing of an infant continued to fill the room. None of the others had babies with them - she would have known or they would have told her, so there was only one explanation - a baby had died in the house. Opening her door and walking out into the hallway, she began to follow the cries. And when she did, she finally caught a full on glance of two ghosts.  
  
The first was a woman with short curly blonde hair and a red dress. She looked normal enough, expect for the fact that she stumbling around as if drunk and when Heather looked into her eyes - she didn't see anything staring back. Her eyes were dead, glazed over, and her blank, unblinking gaze fell upon her for a second before she looked away and continued on her way, her phantom heels clicking uneasily against the wood of the floor.  
  
The last was a man who looked shockingly similar to Charles, just a few years older and with facial hair. He didn't see her, however, just continued to walk through her, the sudden cold chilling Heather to bone. But when she looked behind her, she saw that the man's back was covered in blood, his hair matted with it and lumps of his brain. A portion of the back of his head was missing, as if he put a gun in his mouth and -   
  
The baby cried again, louder this time, and Heather turned around, shivering from the cold and the sight, then continued to walk.  
  
She came to a door at the end of a hallway, the cries sounding as if they were right through it, and she reached down slowly to grasp the handle, and -   
  
Nothing. It was locked.   
  
"What are you doing?"  
  
Heather let out a gasp and jumped, spinning around to face Erik - who was currently staring at her with a look of confusion on his face. Pressing a hand over her quickly beating heart, she breathed out, "Jesus, Erik, give a person a warning next time." Erik raised an eyebrow at the statement, before asking once more, "What are you doing?"  
  
"I - Don't worry, it's nothing," She lied, beginning to walk past him. The baby wasn't crying anymore and maybe - maybe it had just been her imagination the whole time. Erik opened his mouth to say something, but Heather never heard any of it, as her hand came in contact with his bare forearm and she gasped.   
  
Another fun thing she could do. Psychometry is what science called it, but really, it was basically when Heather touched someone who had something traumatizing happen in the past - something that caused strong and bad emotions - she could see and experience it. Fun, huh?   
  
Upon touching Erik's arm, she began seeing flashes of images and visions. A man dressed with glasses and a surgeon light looked down at him with a smile, there was something in Erik's mouth and he wanted to scream, but he couldn't and suddenly, the man was holding up a surgeon's knife and all there was was pain. The same man was in front of Erik, holding a gun off to the side, and Erik looked back and - and it was Edie, a living, breathing Edie - and Erik turned back, his hands out in front of him as he tried to - to move a stupid coin - and suddenly, there was loud bang and Edie was on the ground, blood was everywhere, and a scream ripped through Erik, sorrow and anger boiling in his veins.  
  
Then there was darkness.


	7. Chapter 7

Heather ripped her hand away from Erik's arm and stepped back, her eyes blinking rapidly in an attempt to clear her vision. The horrifying images seemed to be burned into her brain, however, and the more she tried, the harder it was to forget them. Someone had tortured Erik when he was only a child and that same person had killed Edie - his own mother - right before his own eyes. The thought and the memories had Heather's stomach doing somersaults and she felt the sudden need to throw up.  
  
Erik, who looked at her with both confusion and concern, reached out hesitantly for her and he was saying something - but the ringing in her ears prevented her from hearing any of it. Feeling suddenly very sweaty and shaking, Heather moved past him as quick as she could. "I'm fine," she tried to reassure him, "I'm perfectly - I just - I just need to sit down."  
  
She managed to stumble her way down the hall to her room, closing the door behind her as she entered. She leaned against the wood for a moment, trying to calm her breathing, before finally getting up and moving to the bathroom to splash some water on her face. It took a while for her to get used to the bright lights within, but she moved quickly towards the sink. The water was cool in her hands and on her flushed cheeks, and it helped ease her nausea.   
  
She placed her hands on either side of the sink, leaning against it as she looked down in it. Edie hadn't mentioned that. Edie hadn't mentioned any of that. She didn't expect for Edie to tell her everything but - that was big. That was really big. She had known about the treatment of the Jews within the camps, her brother had told her almost everything about them after he died, but something told Heather that what happened to Erik wasn't because he was Jewish.   
  
It was because he was a mutant.  
  
A sudden drop of red in the porcelain white sink had her thoughts coming to a halt.   
  
And then another.  
  
And then another.  
  
And suddenly hot, thick blood was running down her mouth, down her chin and into the sink. She clamped her hand over her nose, trying hard not to choke on the liquid or the heavy smell of iron now filling the room. She scrambled away from the sink and grabbed the first towel she could find - a white one, of course it had to be the one that would stain - and pressed it against her bleeding nose.   
  
There was a loud knock from the other room, and Heather called out, "I - I'll be out in a minute." It took more than a minute for her nose to stop bleeding, but when it did, she let out a relieved sigh before walking out of the bathroom to answer the door. Out of the corner of her eye, however, she spotted a familiar shape.  
  
"Heather," Edie asked as she stepped forward, "What happened, schatz?" Heather was silent for a moment, before asking her own question. "I had a vision of Erik. He was - being tortured by a man. Do you know him? The man, I mean." Edie's face went blank, her face deathly pale in the darkness of the room. "You need to rest," she responded, her voice cracking, "You shouldn't strain yourself so much."  
  
"Edie - "  
  
Another loud knock had Heather turning to look at the door for a moment, before looking back at Edie - or where Edie should have been. Letting out a sigh, she shook her head and moved to open the door. Erik was standing there, looking surprisingly awkward and concerned, and when he saw her, his eyes widened almost comically.   
  
Why was he - Oh, the blood.  
  
She hadn't washed the dried blood off her mouth or nose, so she probably looked like something straight out of a horror film. "Uh - sorry, I'm just gunna - " She motioned behind her, before moving back to the stained sink to wet down the towel and scrub the dark red liquid off. Once she was done, she dried off and turned the faucet off, an awkward silence falling over them once the sound of running water was gone.   
  
The worried look didn't leave Erik's face the whole time, and she tried to reassure him again. "I'm fine. It was just a tiny nose bleed." Erik's lips pressed together into a tight frown, before he began, "In the hallway... "  
  
" - Yeah?"  
  
" - When you grabbed my arm... What happened?"  
  
Heather considered telling him the truth, that she knew about the man torturing him, that she knew how his mother died. But instead, she gave him a weak smile. "Nothing. I just got a really bad headache. I'm perfectly fine now, so why don't we go down by the others?" Heather tried to push past him - careful not to grab his bare arm - but Erik moved in front of her, looking down at her with a suspicious look in his eyes. "Are you sure you're okay?"  
  
"I'm - " Not okay, definitely not okay, " - fine. Perfectly fine. Let's go." Erik stared at her for a moment, watching her for a change of expression or any sign that she was lying, but, seeing none, he sighed and moved out of her way, allowing her to walk out of the room. He followed her out and walked a little faster until the two were side by side. Silence fell over the two as they made their way towards the staircase, and it was finally broken when Erik cleared his throat and asked, "How long was my mother with you before you came here?"  
  
"The first time I saw your mom was - probably around 2 weeks ago."  
  
"Has she - talked about anyone else?"  
  
Heather thought over all of her and Edie's conversations. She had mentioned her husband and other family members previously - but all of them had been the past tense and not in the they're-ghosts-too tense. "Not really," she responded, before quickly adding, "You were all she really talked about."  
  
Erik smiled at that, but it was small and bitter and Heather would have tried to comfort him if something big hadn't come to her attention.   
  
Edie's wish was to see Erik again and that wish had been fulfilled.  
  
So why was Edie still here?  
 

* * *

  
"Do I really need training?"  
  
The next day, with the sun shining bright and the breeze cool and crisp, Heather should have been lying out on a towel beside Raven and enjoying the lovely weather.  But instead, she was standing in the shade beside Hank and Charles and listening to them chatter on about training. "I see dead people. Unless there's a ghost around, I'm useless. Let's just accept that and move on."  
  
Heather turned to walk away, but Charles quickly grabbed her wrist and pulled her back. "Not so fast." Heather let out a groan, but stayed put and crossed her arms. "Now, after some research, I found out something very interesting. The reason you can see ghosts is because your mind unconsciously manipulates the astral plane, therefore allowing you to see spirits."    
  
Hank wrinkled his nose. "Astral plane?"  
  
"Basically the spirit world," Charles replied, before turning back to Heather, "If we could figure out a way for you to consciously manipulate it, there's no telling what you could do." Heather was silent for a moment, letting what Charles had just said sink in. So, if she could just figure out how to control the astral plane, she could unlock some powers that she never even knew she had. That sounded - pretty amazing actually. But one thing was bothering her...  
  
"If I learn how to control it - would I be able to turn my mediumship off?"  
  
Charles frowned at that. "Yes, I guess you could." Heather paused once more at that. Did she even want that? What would it even be like without her power? Without the constant appearance of the dead in her life? She'd be normal. Never again would she have to be caught talking to herself, never again would she have to be called names or teased.  
  
But - it would be lonely.   
  
Heather sighed, glancing at Charles, before looking straight ahead and placing her hands out in front of her. "Now, just concentrate," Charles said soothingly as he stepped back.  Heather closed her eyes and began to chant to herself: Controlitcontrolitcontrolitcontrolitcontrolit. But nothing happened.  
  
Heather pursed her lips, before trying again, harder this time. This was different from when she usually used her powers. Normally it just - happened and now it just wasn't. After a few moments of trying, she stopped and turned to Charles. "It's not working." By then, the other mutants had joined them and were watching her curiously.  
  
Charles nodded, before suggesting, "Why don't you try doing something you know you can do? You said when we met that you could the souls of the living, right?"   
  
Heather nodded, closing her eyes and calmed herself as much as she could, before opening her eyes again. This time, she saw bright orbs inside each of their chests, each one different colored and unique. The souls also held a person's deepest secrets and she could usually hear the whispers, but with so many people around her, it sounded more like a hum instead of real words. "What do they look like?" Raven asked, stepping forward. She turned to look closely at Raven's which was - different from any other that she had seen. Raven's changed color every time Heather blinked; one second it was blue and the one next second it was green.  
  
"It's the color of your eyes," Heather explained in a breathless voice. "Eyes are the windows to the soul," Erik added silently, almost to himself. Suddenly, the whispers were beginning to get louder and louder, and Heather found it too hard to keep focusing with the many voices in her ears. She decided to end it then - she really didn't need another bloody nose - and squeezed her eyes closed, the voices finally, blissfully fading away.   
 

* * *

  
Heather was folding her blanket when Edie reappeared in her room. She set the blanket down gently, before glancing at where Edie was standing. The woman had her back turned to her as she looked out of the big window at the moon that was currently hung high in the sky. "You never answered my question from before," Heather said softly, hoping she wouldn't disappear again.  
  
Instead, Edie sighed and turned to face Heather, her face looking suddenly very defeated. She moved slowly to sit on the bed beside Heather, not looking in her eyes the entire time. "Who was that man?" She asked once more, her voice gentle and a little concerned.  
  
Edie remained silent for a moment, before looking up into her eyes - the pain and sorrow deep within -  and saying, "Klaus Schmitz. But - you would know him as Sebastian Shaw."  
  
Shaw.  _Shaw._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> not really sure if i liked how this chapter turned out
> 
> work's been a bitch lately, but hopefully i get start getting into a pattern with updates


	8. Chapter 8

Heather - Heather had no idea how to even react. She had no clue what Edie was expecting her to do or even what Heather was expecting of herself. She wanted to be angry - oh boy, did she want to be furious. Edie had known that the man they were chasing had been the man who had killed her and tortured her only son, yet she'd never even thought to supply Heather with this pretty big piece of information. She wanted to be furious because - because Edie was looking at her like she was a small child who needed comfort when - when Heather was the one who should be comforting her.

The woman was separated from her family, killed before her son's eyes and then forced to witness her son's innocence being ripped away from him, and yet here she was - her hands reaching out for Heather slowly, the concern in her eyes evident, and all Heather really wanted to do was burst into tears. "Shaw," she repeated, not moving away from Edie and instead letting herself be pulled closer to her. "The man - the one that's planning to kill the humans, he killed you?" A nod of confirmation. "Does Erik know?" Silence, before Edie finally replied, "I would guess so. The amount of hatred in his voice when he says his name would suggest it."

Edie gave her smile at that, and Heather tried to copy that - however, her's was a little more bitter but still a smile none the less. "You're taking this pretty well," Edie commented after a moment, in a soft, calm voice. She looked at the ghost with a raised eyebrow, asking, "How am I supposed to be reacting?"

"I don't know. I thought you'd be screaming and - "

"Well, it's not like that would help anything," Heather snapped suddenly, and she felt bad as soon as the words left her mouth. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to - be like that, it's just - " She let out a sigh, rubbing her forehead, " - this is all so overwhelming." Edie let out a laugh at that. "It is. And don't worry, schatz, I'm not blaming you. You're right. Being angry over Shaw will do nothing to help the past, it won't change what's already happened, no matter how much we want it to."

_____________________

Edie disappeared a little while later, and, to clear her mind, Heather headed downstairs to the kitchen. She searched half-heartedly through the drawers and cabinets for something - anything really - to snack on, but nothing managed to catch her eye. Sighing, she rubbed her hands on her skirt and turned to head back upstairs to her room. However, Raven chose that moment to enter, a blinding smile on her face. "Hey, Heather, you mind giving me a hand?"

Heather shrugged, before giving her a friendly smile. "Sure, why not? What do you need?"

"Well," Raven began, "There's going to be a scary movie marathon on soon, so I want to make some popcorn for the gang - " She then glanced at Heather with a hopeful look, " - and you, if you want to join us." Heather rolled her eyes, but agreed to the marathon, laughing at how smug and pleased with herself Raven looked. 

Once they located a pan, some oil and the much needed kernels, Raven finally leaned over to Heather and asked, "Do you know how to do this?" Heather couldn't help but smile, her turn to look smug. "Are you trying to tell me that you have no clue what you're doing?" Raven blushed, before giving her a sharp look. "Shut up. Do you?"

"Of course. C'mon, I'll teach you."

_____________

With four bowls of popcorn, Heather and Raven walked into the living room to find the movie, Birds, just finishing up and a seemingly intense scene going on. "Popcorn!" Raven cried out, and Heather couldn't help but laugh hard when almost everyone in the room jumped - even Erik, who had been seemingly napping on one of the chairs. Sean took the hand that had been covering his mouth away, replacing it over his heart, staring up at the girls in utter fear. "Holy shit, man," he breathed out.

Raven rolled her eyes and thrust one of the bowls into his hands, before taking a seat on the floor beside him. She passed another bowl up to Hank, as Heather took her place beside Raven, slidding in the two bowls in Alex and Charles' direction, before turning her attention to the ending credits. Heather hugged her legs to her chest, leaning her chin on top of her knees, listening absentmindedly to the other's chatter around her. Once the next film began, the chatter slowly faded away and soon everyone was fixated on the screen.

Even though Heather went through her days, seeing ghosts that would make even the biggest horror cry for their mommies, she was the biggest scaredy cat when it came to horror movies. Most of the movies weren't even as scary as the spirits, but there was a huge difference between the two: one was fake, the other wasn't, one couldn't be escaped, the other could be sent away. So Heather sent the time, scaring at the edge of the TV, one in a while glancing over at the screen, only to shiver and look back.

She was barely paying attention when the crying started.

The same crying from the night before.

Heather, not hesitanting at all, leaned over and whispered to Raven, "I'll be right back," before standing. Sean snorted. "Scared already, Heather?" Just then, a figure pulled back the shower curtain and the main character - Marion? - lets out a bloodcurding shriek. While the others simply gasped, Sean - on the other hand - jumped nearly a foot in the air, almost letting out his own shriek. Heather left the room, snickering, before she continued her mission.

This time, when she came to that familiar corridor, she met no ghosts and walked on in a hurry towards the door. When she did stop at the door, the crying behind it almost reaching a wail, she reached towards the handle, expecting it to be locked like before. 

But this time, the handle turned completely and Heather pulled the door open with a loud squeak, causing her to wince. The opening revealed a long staircase and, after looking behind her, Heather made her way up cautiously. The room - an attic of some sort - was full of sheet covered furniture and antiques, and old photos of a wedding and a serious faced family. As she walked through, glancing around at the objects with mild curiousity, she finally noticed it.

A covered crib.

She pulled the white sheet back quickly and took a step back, as if expecting something to jump out and get her. The crying wavered, before becoming more of a whine, and Heather leaned over to look inside.

The baby couldn't have been older than a day or two, and looked very frail and small - smaller than a normal baby should have been. He wasn't wearing any clothing, only a white sheet that coddled the little boy. His dark blue eyes opened slightly and he blinked, his gaze finding Heather's, the whines sounding more and more pitiful. 

"Shh, it's okay, baby," Heather tried to soothe him, "No need to cry now. I'm here, I'm here." She hesitanted, before reaching a hand down to rub gently at his stomach, his whines almost completely stopping. "That's it. You just needed someone to notice you, didn't you?" Her heart hurt for the boy - not only had his life been cut short, but he had been left in the attic alone for god knows how many years.

"What are you doing?"

It was Heather's turn to jump, her head whipping around to look at Charles - his gaze full of curosity and concern. When she glanced down into the crib, the baby was gone, the sheet laying flat and undisturbed on the mattress. She removed her hand and turned completely to face the younger man.

"Nothing, I just - " She tried to think of a lie, but Charles was telepath, he'd know if she was lying, and this was quite possibly a lost relative of his. He had a right to know. "There was a baby, and I - I've heard him cry before, but the door was open this time, and I - " She faded away, noticing how pale Charles' face had become, how he had began to stare at the window behind her. "Is something wrong?"

Charles was silent for a moment, before he finally answered in a soft tone. "My brother - my twin brother, Patrick - he died in this house before he was born."

"Charles - "

"I killed him - "

"There's no way, you were an infant - "

"My powers manifested in the womb and the sheer amount of it killed him."

Heather couldn't stop herself. She stepped closer to the man, her finger jabbing him in the chest. "Now, stop that. Stop that right now. You were a baby, Charles. You had no control over your powers and you had no way to stop him from dying." She paused, before adding, "I know what it's like to lose a brother. And I spent a long time blaming myself for not stopping him, for not telling him that fighting in the war wasn't worth it." Her voice cracked. "And I know now that it didn't help - it never helped to blame myself. It didn't justify his death or make his death any less painful."

Charles looked her in the eyes in surprise. The two stood there for a moment, silent, before Heather felt arms wrap around her and felt herself being pulled into a warm hug. "Thank you," Charles simply said. They stayed like that for a minute, sharing the moment together - a moment for the lonely children to feel loved - before breaking apart. "How about we go back downstairs before the other begin to worry?" Charles suggested, his usual charming smile returning to his face.

Heather wrinkled her nose at having to watch the movie, but she returned the smile, following Charles down the stairs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's been a really long time (about three months to be exact) since I've written a chapter and I'm really sorry about that. Also sorry about the sort of shitty chapter, but its been sitting in my drafts for the past month and I just needed to publish it so I could move on to the next chapters.
> 
> I've had a lot of shit going on in my life over that time that I may feel comfortable talking about later, but now - not so much.
> 
> Either way, I apologize for the wait and I'll try to get more chapters out soon.


	9. Chapter 9

"What about Ghost?"

Heather wrinkled her nose at Raven's suggestion, shaking her head. The two were currently seated at the kitchen table, Raven picking at a bowl of cereal and Heather half-heartedly glancing through the morning's paper. Raven had been suggesting names - "Code names, Heather, we're like government agents and since you're one of us, you need one too" - almost all morning and none of them really sounded right. "If I'm going to have a code name, Raven, I don't want an unoriginal one."

Raven pouted angrily, her brows furrowed together as she tried to think up a new one. "God, you're a tough crowd to please."

Heather smiled, before looking down at the forgotten paper. Not having a code name wasn't a big deal for her, but if choosing one made Raven stop bothering her about it - "What are some other names for a ghost?" Raven asked curiously. Even Heather had to think about that. "Spirit. Phantom. Ghoul - " Raven brightened at that, and Heather shot a glare in her direction, " - Don't even think about it. I don't have the power of a ghost, I just see them. So... I don't know, look in a different direction."

Raven was silent for a moment, before asking, "What was that thing Charles said you could control?" 

"The astral plane, why?" Raven mouthed it to herself, before her face brightened. "Astra, that should be your name. It's original and not about the dead people, what do you think?" Astra. It wasn't totally unappealing - it had actually had a nice ring to it and it sounded like something Heather could get used to. "Works for me," she answered and tried not to laugh when Raven fist bumped the air, a smug look on her face.

Just then, the door to the basement flung open and Alex stomped out, looking frustrated. As he passed them, an intense burning smell filled the room and Heather nearly choked on it. "Looks like training wasn't a successful," Raven mumbled, her nose drawn up in disgust.

________

Later that day, Erik, Raven, Alex and Heather were all anxiously leaning out of a window - a very crowded window, they all realized after a while - to watch Sean fly. Or at least try. Though she had faith in Sean's mutation and Charles and Hank's guidance, that didn't mean she wasn't going to worry. For god's sake, Sean was jumping out of a window.

"And you're sure that this will work?" Sean asked from his spot on the window sill, a little nervousness in his tone, and Hank continued to fiddle with the man-made flying squirrel wings attached to Sean's arms. "Anything is possible. I based the design - " Charles interrupted him, pulling the man into the room, so he could take his place. "Hank, stop talking. Come on. Now - " He leaned out and turned slightly to face Sean," - remember. Scream as hard as you can. You need the sound waves to be supersonic. Catch them at the right angle and they should carry you." Sean leaned against the window, an uneasy smile on his face. "They should carry me. That's reassuring."

"Good luck. And don't forget to scream."

Sean nodded, before spreading his arms, leaping, and letting out the most pathetic sound ever. The next sound was him hitting the grass below and nearly everyone winced at the same time.

________

After Sean's flying attempt, Heather made her way to her room, deciding to take a nap, glad that her training session wasn't for a couple of days. But on her way there, she felt someone tap on her shoulder. Turning, she was shocked to find an anxious looking Alex behind her. "Alex, what - what's wrong?"

"Nothing," he said quickly, "Nothing's wrong, I just wanted - to ask if you've heard or seen or - whatever." The boy looked a little flustered, and Heather could sympathize with him. But what shocked her was the deep look of sadness in his eyes when he glanced at her. "Have you... talked to anyone named Darwin while you were here?"

"I'm sorry, Alex," Heather replied in a soft voice, "I've never seen any Darwin." Alex's shoulders sagged, and Heather almost felt bad for saying no, like she had denied him comfort. "Oh, okay," his voice was gentle, sounding almost embarrassed, before he added, "Will you just... be on the look out for him?"

"Of course, it's the least I can do."

________

After 30 minutes of holding her hands out and just trying to will something, anything, to react, Heather gave up. "It's impossible, Charles," she told him, trying hard to find his optimism annoying. "It'll just take some time," Charles replied, and now the calmness in his voice sort of made Heather want to punch him. "Look at everyone else. They all believed the same thing as you, but look at them now."

Heather huffed. "That's because those powers exist. I'm starting to believe the powers we're trying to discover don't." Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Erik approaching - a signal that her practice time was done. "We'll try again tomorrow." She said, trying not to discourage the man further. The two said goodbye, before Heather walked away, giving Erik a smile as she passed him. But something caught her gaze...

"Is that a gun?" She hissed in disbelief. Erik glanced down at the weapon in his hand, and shrugged. "It's for my training session." Heather had so many questions, but she just shook her head. "I - I'm not even going to ask. Have fun." Erik let out a laugh as she continued on her way into the house.

She took a seat in the window sill in the living room, barely listening to the news cast that Moira was watching, anxious for the president's speech. Heather tried to read through the book in her hands, but the words seemed to go over her head, her mind focusing on the problems at hand. Her powers, Edie, the US and USSR's tension, Shaw and his band of evil mutants... it seemed like the world had gotten a lot heavier on her shoulders and stress was piling up around her. 

Running a hand through her hair, Heather noticed the satellite moving - as if something or someone was controlling it. She let out a sigh, realizing that now she was the only one who hadn't had any success in her training, but nearly had a heart attack when Moira jumped up and opened another window and cried out, "The president is about to make his address!"

Heather stood and went to stand behind the couch, as the rest of the group gathered around the small TV. They all watched with seriousness as the presidential symbol appeared, followed by the familiar but blurry man. "It shall be the policy of this nation to regard any nuclear missile crossing the embargo line that surrounds Cuba as an attack by the Soviet Union on the United States requiring a full retaliatory response upon the Soviet Union - "

"That's where we'll find Shaw." Erik commented, and Heather turned to look at him curiously. "How do you know?"

Erik looked at her, but before he could answer, Charles responded, "Two superpowers facing off and he wants to start World War III. He won't leave anything to chance." The screen went black with a click and Charles set the remote down with a sigh, adding, "So much for diplomacy. I suggest you all get a good night's sleep."

________

"Why are we even out here?"

Heather had been in her room for probably three minutes, before Charles came and basically dragged her outside, giving her no explanation on what he or Erik were planning on doing or why they were standing outside when it was almost dark. The air had cooled extremely from earlier in the day and even the softest breeze was chilly - the way it should be in October. Heather crossed her arms, looking back and forth between the two expectedly.

Charles glanced at Erik, who looked at her and smirked. "We're not sending you to Cuba unprepared. So we're going to help you with your power."


	10. Chapter 10

"I don't mean to burst your bubble, Erik," Heather replied, trying not to let out a bitter laugh, "But Charles and I have been trying for almost a week to get my power to work. Can't we just accept that all I can do is talk to the dead?"

Erik shook his head, a determined look in his eye. "No. Because now we know something that will help."

"And what if it doesn't work?"

"Then we'll find something else," Charles interrupted, "We're not giving up on you." For some reason, that sentence had a warm feeling spreading through Heather's stomach, and she couldn't help but smile. "Fine, fine. But make it quick. You said yourself that we need to get plenty of rest for tomorrow." Charles chuckled at that, before glancing back at Erik to continue.

"You need to focus - "

" - I am focusing, I just - "

" - No." Erik stopped her, a sharp look in his gaze shocking her into silence, "You're not. You may look you are, but you're not truly focused. Someone once told me that true focus lies somewhere between rage and serenity - " Out of the corner of her eye, Heather spotted a smug look on Charles' face, " - Now... I need you to think of a happy memory."

Heather looked at him in confusion, but seeing that there was no joking smirk on his face, she obeyed. She closed her eyes and thought hard about her past. She thought of her father; the gentle giant with his curly beard, his rough laugh, his strong arms and his twinkling eyes. She thought of her mother; the most beautiful woman she'd ever seen, a girl with movie star looks but with a heart of ice. She thought of her mother standing in front of the mirror day and night, pinching at the fat on her hips and hissing at her over and over, "You did this, you did this, you did this."

The bruises under her mother's eyes that she collected after her father's funeral, the blank stare that followed like she had died along with her husband. She thought of the pills and the sobbing and - "Stop that." The voice echoed in her skull, and Heather realized with a start that Charles had been watching the memories too. She felt a gentle tug somewhere in her mind, before she saw it: her mother's laugh and the way she had looked at her husband, with pure and utter adoration. 

The good memories continued after that with her older half-brother; with his boyish charm and easy smile that had girls falling hard for him. She thought of peeking into his casket once he returned from Germany, hearing the whispers of "He was too young, too young." How her father had hugged the folded flag like it was his own son, and the way her mother had winced each time the gun was shot into the sky. But to avoid bad thoughts, she remembered the joy she had felt when he had returned as a spirit - her own little secret.

Heather felt a warmness spread throughout her entire body and it got warmer and warmer, until a surge of energy and strength went through her and, with a gasp, shot out of her fingertips.

"Ow!" Charles yelped and Heather's eyes shot open to find Erik gaping at her and Charles rubbing his shoulder. "What - How - " She looked back and forth between the two, trying to get an answer on what the hell had just happened. Charles' eyebrows furrowed in thought for a moment, before his eyes widened almost comically. "That's it!" He exclaimed. 

"What?" Erik and Heather said at the same time, both shamelessly confused.

"When Heather uses her powers, her soul harmonizes with others and she draws strength from them. Harmonizing allows you to manipulate the astral plane."

Heather stood there in shock, before looking at Charles' joyful face and smiling in disbelief. "We did it. We - we actually did it. We actually solved it." That seemed to awaken Erik. "Well," he said, stepping closer to Heather, "let's see what else you can do."

_________________

Further experimentation revealed that Heather could produce a physical and mental shield. "I can't see you," Charles had gasped the first time she had discovered it, "I mean, I can see you physically but - mentally, I can't read or even locate your mind." The shield wasn't very strong yet or couldn't go very far, but both Erik and Charles told her that it would strengthen over time and with practice.

They didn't stay out very long after the sun set, and once she had returned to her room, practically bouncing from joy, she had quickly changed into her pajamas and got ready to head to bed. But just as she was lying down, the door of her room slammed open and a crying Raven appeared.

Heather sat up quickly in surprise and asked, "Raven? What's wrong?"

Raven's lower lip trembled as she shut the door behind her and came to sit on the bed, and Heather could see her eyes turning yellow. "I don't - I was so stupid, he doesn't believe I'm pretty like that. I thought he understood, I - "

"Raven!" Heather put her hands on the girl's shoulders, shaking her slightly, "What are you talking about?"

"Hank," Raven replied, trying to choke down her tears and calm enough to explain. "He - he came into my room before and he brought a kind of cure for our appearances. I told him not to, that we're perfect the way we are, but - then he said that society would never find my natural form or his feet beautiful." 

Heather felt her heart ache for her friend, who only wanted acceptance, as well as a sudden feeling of anger. "Raven, he's wrong. You're beautiful. Now and in your natural form. And even if society doesn't accept it, you're still probably more beautiful than ninety-nine percent of the human population." Raven let out a wet laugh, before she hesitated and shifted into her blue figure. "Maybe it's just me, but I don't see anything wrong right now," Heather added softly, and Raven, a bright smile lighting up her glum face, pulled her into a tight hug. 

_________________

Afterwards, Raven decided to stay in Heather's room and sleep, too zoned out to even consider moving, though she did laugh and tell Heather that going and yelling at Hank was probably not the best idea. 

Raven fell asleep almost as soon as her head hit the pillow, but for Heather, it was a different story. No matter how many times she closed her eyes or rolled around and tried to find a comfortable spot, she just couldn't fell asleep. After a while, she sighed and got up, planning to go downstairs and get a drink of water, hoping that it would help her. She quietly headed down the stairs and into the kitchen, wincing when the old wood creaked under her feet.

There, she grabbed a glass from the cabinet and turned on the faucet, pouring herself a drink. She leaned against the counter for a moment or two, sipping the water slowly, before the ringing noise started. Frowning, she set the glass down and pressed her hands against her ears in an attempt to stop the offending noise. But it only seemed to get louder and louder and louder...

Heather suddenly felt very paranoid, an overwhelming feeling that something bad was going to happen, before her stomach somersaulted, and she felt clammy and too warm, then deciding to go outside to try and cool down. 

The outside air felt amazing on her sweaty skin and Heather sat in the slightly damp grass, trying to calm her breathing and paranoia as the ringing sound began to fade into a dull mum. She sat there alone for a few while, enjoying the coolness, when she heard someone clear their throat. "Do you like sneaking up on me or something?" Heather asked with a strained laugh. Erik gave her small smile, before sitting down beside her. "I thought you wanted to get a good night's rest?" He asked teasingly, and Heather sighed, leaning her chin on her knees. "Can't sleep, you?"

"Same," he hummed.

"Are you nervous for tomorrow?"

Erik shrugged. "Not really. I've been waiting for this for a long time." Facing off with Shaw, Heather realized, that's what he's been waiting for. She glanced over at the older man, and for a minute it hit her like a train how much she really cared for him - how much she really cared for all of them. Tomorrow, she could lose them if they weren't strong enough to stop Shaw and that - that was scary thought. She - she couldn't stand the thought of seeing any of them as ghosts. Erik, noticing how silent she had become, glanced over at her and Heather quickly looked away, instead noticing a small, weather worn angel statue in the garden in front of them.

"Heather - "

"Did your parents ever talk to you about angels?"

Erik blinked, obviously shocked by the change of subject - hell, even it shocked Heather herself - but he decided not to press. "Sometimes," he responded slowly, "Angels are - were important to our faith." Heather didn't take her eyes off of the angel. "My dad did too. He always told me that everyone had a guardian angel to watch over us, to protect us. They'd always be by our sides and they'd never let anything happen to you."

She then narrowed her eyes at the cherub faced statue, the taste in her mouth bitter. "But there are no guardian angels, Erik. There are no angels. Just ghosts."

Silence fell over the two like a blanket, before a quiet reply came from Erik, so soft that Heather almost didn't hear it. "Maybe you haven't looked hard enough."


	11. Chapter 11

"What the hell happened here?"

Heather couldn't help herself. Walking through Hank's destroyed lab and with the man no where in sight to give an explanation, she had the right to wonder. They had all gathered outside of the lab earlier this morning, like Hank had requested the day before, but after no answer, they had decided to enter - and were met by a surprising sight. Tables, chair, vials - anything you could imagine, thrown and sprawled across the floor.

No answer for her question came, though she and Erik caught each other's gaze, the same look of bewilderment there. They carefully made their way through the room, stepping over broken glass and chunks of wood. In the back of the room, there was box labeled with a tape 'X' and Charles approached it cautiously, before opening it. 

"Hank has been busy," Erik commented, as everyone looked into the box - which was full of blue and highlighter yellow suit. Heather wrinkled her nose at the color, before Sean asked, "Do we really have to wear these?"

"As none of us are mutated to endure extreme G-force," Charles remarked nonchalantly, "Or being riddled by bullets, I suggest we suit up."

___________

Heather pulled at the uncomfortable collar of her suit. The whole thing was a little small for her and the fabric scratched her skin annoyingly, but it was better than nothing - even if they stood out like a sore thumb. Erik glanced sideways at her, an amused smirk on his face, and she stuck her tongue out at him.

They were currently standing in front of a large plane at some military base - one that Heather never really learned the name of - and waiting anxiously for Hank, who they seem hadn't located - even after they searched his room. "Where's Hank?" Raven asked, after what seemed like an hour of silence.

"I'm here."

The voice had surprised them all, and their heads all whipped around to see a large, approaching figure. "Hank?" Charles questioned, before his eyes widened. In fact, all of their eyes widened at that moment. Hank had changed. Like completely changed. His peach skin had been replaced like thick, unruly blue fur, his eyes were now a bright yellow and he had rather sharp looking fangs. He pushed his glasses up before looking down at his feet - almost in shame. 

"It didn't attack the cells. It enhanced them." And he added in a pained voice, "It didn't work." Raven reached out, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Yes, it did, Hank. Don't you see? This is who you were meant to be. This is you. No more hiding." Raven slowly took her hand away, as Hank glanced up at her, but Erik then replaced her hand by patting him on the back, saying, "You never looked better, man."

Hank suddenly reached out and grabbed Erik by his throat, lifting him off the ground. "Hank!" Heather cried out. She hadn't been expecting that, and she looked between the two in horror. "Don't mock me," he growled at Erik, his yellow eyes full of malice. "Hank, put him down immediately, please," Charles pleaded, nervousness in his tone, "Hank! Hank!"

Hank released his grip on Erik's throat, and the man fell, harsh gasps of air coming from him. Heather resisted the urge to kneel down beside him and made sure he was okay, instead gave him a little space to breath. Erik glared up at Hank, his face almost bright red. "I wasn't," he breathed out, before Alex spoke up. "Even I gotta admit, you look pretty bad-ass. I think I got a new name for you." Hank glanced at Alex, almost as if daring him to make fun of him now. "Beast." Hank let out a growl, but made no movement to choke Alex out.

Sean glanced up at the plane, before asking softly, "You're sure you can fly this thing?" Hank answered in a matter-of-fact tone, "Of course I can. I designed it."

________

Their trip to Cuba took them an hour or so, but to Heather, the trip seemed to take three seconds. Her nerves were making her stomach somersault wildly and the paranoia from the night before was returning slowly, bringing a massive headache with it. When Heather rubbed her temples, Erik's shoulder came in contact with her's. "Are you alright?" He asked softly, and what was Heather supposed to say to that? She didn't really want to lie to Erik, but if she told him the truth, he'd worry and tell her not to push herself during the mission - and having just discovered a whole new power, Heather wanted to push herself at least a little bit

So, she gave him a fake smile and reassured him, "Just nervous, that's all."

Hank glanced out his window, before mumbling, "It looks pretty messy out there." Charles put two fingers to his temple, his eyes glazing over a bit, before he returned and said, "The crew of the Aral Sea are all dead. Shaw's been there." So, it seemed like Heather had a good reason to be nervous. Erik's focus changed immediately. "He's still here. Somewhere," he claimed, before Charles continued, "He's set the ship on course for the embargo line." 

"If that ship crosses the line, our boys are gonna blow it up," Moira replied, adjusting her headset, "And the war begins." Charles brightened, the way he always did when he came up with something, before he said in a soft tone, "Unless they're not our boys."

Heather watched Charles' fingers return to his temple, but she had no idea what he had meant or what was happening, until Hank cursed under his breath, and yelled, "Hold on!" The plane veered suddenly and jerkily, rolling and rolling like an amusement park ride, and Heather almost let out a shriek, the free falling feeling leaving her almost sick, but Erik's hand found her's and she clung to his hand tightly as the plane finally stabilized. 

"A little warning next time, Professor," Hank pointed out, and Charles gave him an apologetic look. "Sorry about that." He looked around at the others before asking, "You alright?" A collective yes came from the group, before Heather mumbled to herself, "I think we need to go back for my stomach." Erik snorted at that, and Alex let out a choked laugh, before Moira commented, "That was inspired, Charles."

"Thank you very much," Charles responded, but his eyebrows furrowed, "But I still can't locate Shaw."

Erik sat up straighter, claiming once more, a little more anger in his tone this time, "He's down there. We need to find him now." Charles glanced at Erik, before asking, "Hank?" Hank didn't even glance back. "Is there anything unusual on the radar or scanners?" Moira looked down and all around, but she responded, disappointment in her tone, "No. Nothing."

"Well, then he must be under water. And obviously we don't have sonar." Sean looked up at that, his eyes wide. "Yes, we do." There was a look of realization on Charles' face as he unbuckled, removed his headset, and stood, "Yes, we do." Sean followed suit, and Erik released Heather's hand - who was a little mortified that she hadn't stopped holding his hand that entire time - and followed them both.

"Hank, level the bloody plane!" Charles yelled out, his hands holding tightly on to the ceiling as he made his way with Sean to bay doors. As Sean got ready, he spotted Erik and pointed at him. "Whoa! You back right off." Erik stepped back, his hands held up in defense. Sean then looked over him and yelled, "Beast, open the bomb bay doors!"

The doors opened, a strong gust of air coming through the jet, the smell of sea salt almost overwhelming. Heather continued to watch in fascination, as Charles continued to yell instructions to Sean, before Sean nodded and leaped out of the plane. Honestly, even if Heather knew he'd improved his flying skills, she was still a little worried, so hearing the super sonic scream was a relief for her. "Alert the fleet," Moira said into the CB radio, "they may want to take their cans off."

The two men continued to stand, hanging onto the ropes from the ceiling, before Charles called out, "Banshee has a location on Shaw." He then turned to Erik, asking, "Are you ready for this?" 

"Let's find out."

The plane lowered itself closer to the sea top and after the doors opened once more, Heather watched as Erik climbed on to wheel of the plane, Charles kneeling down to guide him, and it wasn't for another few minutes that she heard the sound of something large splashing and metal creaking and moaning. He's doing it, she thought, he's lifting the sub. But the moment of rejoice didn't last for very long. She heard Charles yell, his voice inaudible by the wind suddenly picking up. "Hold on," Hank exclaimed, his claws gripping onto the controls tightly, "It's gonna get bumpy."

And oh boy, did it.

The jet was tossed around like a rag doll, and Heather held on so tightly to the edge of her seat, that her knuckles turned white. She didn't scream at all as the plane rocked dangerously, but she continued to bit her lip hard - hard enough that she could taste blood. It kept getting worse and worse, to the point that she worried Erik had fallen off and Charles would follow suit. There was a sickening crack of something breaking off of the jet and another yell came. But luckily Charles pulled Erik up just in time, as they were thrown against something - probably the beach - and rolled. 

The shock of rolling and the sudden increase of pressure in her head had Heather finally letting out a scream, her's not being the only one to feel the air. And she didn't stop until the ship stopped - opposite down. She took deep breaths, and tried frantically to remove her buckle, but her hands were shaking too bad for her to get a good grip. Charles walked front and asked, "Moira? Moira, are you alright?" She said yes, and Charles quickly helped Raven down, as everyone else began removing themselves from their seats.

Before she could start panicking, she heard, "Here, I got you." Alex crouched down in front of her, removing her shaky hands and unbuckling it himself. She fell too quickly to respond, and the top of her head hit the floor. She hissed as she stood, rubbing the spot, but thanked Alex none the less. 

"I read the teleporter's mind," Charles said, looking out of an opening in the plane's frame, "Shaw is drawing all the power out of his sub. He's turning himself into some kind of nuclear bomb." Moira glanced to side. "We have no time. The Geiger count is going out of control."

"Moira, this is what we're gonna do. Get on the radio and tell them to clear both fleets out immediately."

"I'm going in." Erik said sharply, and suddenly the ringing in Heather's ears was back. "Beast, Havok, back him up. Erik, I can guide you through once you're in," Charles explained, "But I need you to shut down whatever it is that's blocking me, then we just hope to God it's not too late for me to stop him."

"Got it," Erik said quickly, before exiting, Charles yelling, "Good luck!" The ringing got worse and worse, as did the paranoia, and for the life of her, Heather couldn't figure what was wrong. But she knew, just knew, something bad was going to happen to Erik. Just the thought of him facing Shaw alone had the ringing intensifying. 

But when she and Raven tried to exit the ship, Charles cried out, "Raven, Heather, stop!"

"I'm going to help them," Raven snapped, but Charles replied, "We don't have time for this. If anything comes in that entrance, you're taking care of it, yes?" Raven's shoulders sagged when she agreed, but the ringing again intensified and a feeling of anger filled Heather to the brim. "No."

Three heads whipped around to face her, but before they could say anything, Heather continued. "I'm not staying here. Something bad is going to happen and I'm going with Erik to prevent whatever it is. If you want to stop me, go ahead. But it'll be your funeral." Part of Heather was embarrassed by what she said, but the other part was proud and found it justified. Either way, Heather jumped out of the ship and joined Alex, Hank and Erik where they were standing. 

Erik glanced down at her for moment, and Heather, still a little pissed, explained shortly, "I'm going with you. Don't argue. Just trust me." Erik raised an eyebrow, but he nodded and looked up to focus on three of Shaw's mutants coming to fight them. Oh god, she was probably going to have to fight them. But then Alex shot a red blast at the lilac suited one, throwing him into the wall of the sub. The red one - the teleport - popped up behind them, wrapping a tail around Alex's throat and an arm around Hank before flashing away. 

Before she could react, she and Erik were running across the beach to the sub, Erik reaching out and ripping a piece of the metal wall off, which hit the suited one and knocked him down. Erik grabbed her hand and quickly pulled her into the sub, as she heard Charles. "Make for the middle of the vessel. That's the point where my mind can't penetrate. We have to assume that's where Shaw is." 

The two entered the control room, and as Heather was looking around, she spotted a rather large lever. "That's the nuclear reactor. Disable it," Charles responded, and the two glanced at each other, before Erik dropped her hand and reached forward to pull it down. Through another door, the two entered a room with a dull red light on. "You're there," Charles claimed, "You've reached the void."

Heather looked around in confusion. There was no man there - in fact, the room was completely empty besides them. "He's not here, Charles," she responded. "Shaw's not here!" Erik said almost angrily, looking around as if Shaw would just pop up, "He's left the sub!"

"What? He's got to be there. He has to be! There's nowhere else he can be. Keep looking."

The frustration in Erik's voice had increased. "And I'm telling you he's not. There's no one here, goddammit." Suddenly, Erik froze by her side and craned his neck slowly to look behind him. 

"Erik." The man's voice was calm - almost annoyingly so, after everything that had happened. But there was something eerie about it too. "What a pleasant surprise." Heather, curiosity nearly killing her, turned to see a man with a suit and - an odd looking helmet. His small, almost pig like eyes glanced at her. "And you've brought a friend. How nice."

"Erik? Heather?" Charles' telepathic calls went unanswered, as they both stared at the man speechless. Erik began to make his way towards Shaw, and Heather followed close behind, as the much older man looked back at him and said with an eerie smile, "So good to see you again."

The door hissed close behind them, as Shaw asked, "May I ask you something? Why are you on their side? Why fight for a doomed race who will hunt us down as they realize their reign is coming to an end?" Suddenly, Erik swung his fist and punched the man, but he just came to face them again, no mark or reaction. 

Heather's heart was beating out of control in fear, and the ringing seemed almost louder - if that was even possible - when she was closer to Shaw. The man tilted his head to the side, before saying in that calm voice, "I'm sorry for what happened in the camps. I truly am." Then he glanced down at her and Heather resisted the urge to shiver as his cold gaze leveled with her. He reached his finger out and barely even touched her forehead, but Heather fell backwards as if thrown and struck the glass wall. 

There was crack and for a second, Heather worried that her back had broken instead of the glass, but glancing up, she saw the hole left behind. She laid there for a moment, breathing deeply to calm herself and ease the pain. Erik didn't have time to protest as he too was thrown back with his own sickeningly crack. 

"Erik, Heather, whatever you're doing, keep doing it. It's starting to work." 

"But everything I did," Shaw said, approaching the rising Erik, "I did for you. To unlock your power, to make you embrace it." He cupped Erik's chin and Erik went sailing into the other wall, the glass completely shattering. "It's working! I'm starting to see him, but I can't yet touch his mind." 

The helmet, Heather realized, if they could just - Shaw grabbed her arm and whipped her around, her head breaking the glass this time and she fell forward, onto her knees. She rubbed the back of her head, fighting part of it wet and when she pulled her hand back, it was stained red. Erik grabbed her shoulders and hauled her up, coming to stand in front of her. 

"You've come a long way from bending gates. I'm so proud of you." And when Shaw began to approach them again, Erik quickly reached up and metal pipes and pipers came down from the ceiling, shattering more glass, Heather ducked, but watched as Shaw remained unaffected. "And you're just starting to scratch the surface. Think how much further we could go together." A metal pillar was in front of them and as Shaw approached, so did it. He's going to crush us, Heather thought, he's going to crush us. 

The shield. Heather squeezed her eyes and held her hands out, thinking over and over, rage and serenity, rage and serenity, rage and serenity. The shield was like an elastic band as stretched out to include Erik and herself, and she felt it getting stronger and stronger. She could feel the metal pressing against it, like a dull ache, but it didn't move within. Shaw frowned and reached forward, pressing his hand against the clear shield. Heather could feel the sheer kinetic energy in her gut when it hit the shield, but it didn't even waver. 

Erik looked back at her and Heather let out a little laugh. Shaw, on the other hand, wasn't amused. "Interesting," his calm voice surprisingly dry. He glanced back at Erik, continuing his rant, "I don't want to hurt you, Erik. I never did. I want to help you."

The sudden rage that had caused her to snap at Charles was there once more, and she couldn't stop herself. "Oh, shut up." Shaw looked at her sharply, and even Erik's eyes widened. "Everything coming out of your mouth is bullshit."

Shaw narrowed his eyes, his calm attitude no where to be seen as he focused on her. Glancing behind him, she saw a metal wire coming closer and closer to his head, his helmet. She glanced sideways at Erik, who gave her a keep-going-look. She cleared her throat, before continuing, "You're a nutjob. A wacko. A lunatic. You're sick and you deserve everything you get."

The wire grabbed a hold of the helmet and pulled it off, as Erik cried out, "Now, Charles!" Shaw froze immediately, and Heather couldn't help but let out a long sigh of relief as she let her shield down. The two came to stand in front of the him, before Heather noticed the room seemed - full. Looking up from the man's face, she saw almost every inch of the room was taken up by a ghost. Short, tall, thin, fat, young, old - there was diversity but one thing was certain - they were all Jews and they were not happy with Shaw.

Edie was among them and she looked at Heather, a soft smile on her face, before she glanced beside her. A man with a hat was standing beside her and he looked a little like Erik, but his hair was darker and his eyes lighter. Edie's skirt moved slightly and when Heather focused on it, she saw a little frail girl peek out. She had unruly brown curls and large blue eyes, and she looked - she looked a lot like Erik.

Erik's family. And all of the people Shaw had killed. 

He was never going to change. He was never going to stop hurting people. Even if they put him in a cell, he would find his way out and all of this - all of this pain and suffering - would start all over. "Charles, when I say let go, let go of Shaw."

"What?"

"Charles, trust me. Just do it when I say."

There was no reply, but she hoped he could the message. "Edie," she called out, and the woman's dark eyes met her's, "You can have him. You can have him, Edie!" Erik turned to look at her in confusion, before the ghosts turned into blurs as they all rushed past Erik and Heather, towards the man, and just as they pushed him back towards a sharp looking metal pole, Heather shrieked in her head, "Let go!" As the pole pierced his heart and went through his chest, Shaw regained consciousness, but it was too late. He tried to pull himself off of it, but after a few sharp breaths, they stopped altogether and Klaus Schmidt - Sebastian Shaw - was dead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, sorry for the long chapter, but most of my chapters have been kind of wimpy sized, so here's my apology. Also this was the climax of the movie, man, it deserved 13 pages. 
> 
> If you haven't already noticed, this is a fix it story, meaning the ending of XMFC *gasp* doesn't happen. However, once the story is completely done, I will be writing a what if (kind of like the actual What If comics), so if you didn't like how this chapter ended, there's always that.


	12. Chapter 12

The moment Shaw's heart stopped beating, the ringing in Heather's ears ceased. The sudden, almost blaring silence had the girl swaying uneasily - the emptiness was almost louder and more unbearable than the noise. But that didn't stop the relief from rushing through her veins. Shaw was dead. The man who had killed Edie, who had tortured little Erik, was dead and gone. Maybe now both of them had the chance to move on - Edie from this life and Erik from his crippling vendetta. 

But - Heather felt sick to her stomach after watching the life fade from Shaw's eyes. She wasn't kidding when she told him he deserved everything he got, but that didn't mean watching his death wasn't disturbing. Heather had seen ghosts, she'd seen dead bodies - but never had she seen a death, a very horrifying death she might add, occur before her very eyes. 

The two stood there, frozen, their eyes stuck on the man's corpse, before Erik finally turned to face Heather. It took her a moment or two to rip her gaze away from the body - her thoughts full of relief, shock and a surprising amount of guilt - and when she faced the older man, her face was immediately smashed against a firm chest, arms coming to wrap around her waist tightly. It took her a few bit to react to that, but she hugged Erik back just as tightly, the relief outcoming all other emotions.

She may have had to witness a death, but at least it wasn't a friend. 

The hug was quick, however, as Erik pulled away and looked down at her, saying, "We need to get back to the others." Heather nodded in agreement, and turned to move out of a large hole in the frame of the room - most likely caused by Erik pulling the pipes out of the walls. Sensing Erik wasn't behind her, she glanced back and asked, "Are you coming?"

Erik stood in the same spot, a hand in his pocket pulling out a small metal object - a coin? - and gave her a reassuring look. "I'll be right behind you. Go."

Heather hesitated, but nodded and continued on her way. The cut on the back of her head throbbed and she could feel a headache coming on as she ducked down through the hole and made her escape. Exiting the sub, she was nearly blinded by the sun - which did nothing for her increasing headache - and she held a hand out above her eyes, squinting at the group gathering on the beach as she waited. Less than ten seconds after she left the sub, Erik followed and together, the two hurried over. Thankfully, everyone was there and appeared well - even Shaw's mutants, though they were standing off to the side, looking a little out of place. Spotting Charles, Heather felt a rush of guilt and she couldn't stop herself from spewing apologies left and right.

"I'm sorry, Charles," Heather began, as they approached, "I know it wasn't a part of the plan, but - "

"It's fine," Charles assured her, a small smile on his face. He opened his mouth to continue, but the man paled and his eyes widened. "Charles?" Erik questioned in concern, but before they could do anything else, Charles turned away from them, looking out at the sea where the Russian and American ships were. "They're planning on attacking the beach," Charles whispered in horror.

All the mutants turned to look at him with their very own looks of terror, as Charles repeated louder, "They're planning on attacking the beach." 

Moira didn't even hesitant a little as she rushed back to the remains of their jet - most likely to tell them to beach was clear. Heather tried to convince herself that Moira would be able to convince them, that they wouldn't have to worry about being under fire, but when Moira exited, a look of panic and helplessness on her pale face, Heather's stomach and hope dropped.

Not even a second later, a great number of loud booms! filled the air and everyone looked up just in time to see the missiles - so many missiles - flying straight at them. Panic-stricken, Heather could swear her heart stopped for a moment and she probably would have screamed if she wasn't completely and utterly frozen with fear.

Everything seemed to play in slow motion as, out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Erik hold out his hand and - 

The missiles stopped mid-air.

There was a collective sigh of relief, and Heather had a feeling like she needed to pass out. But no luck there, as the missiles in Erik's grasp slowly began to turn around - around to face the humans. No, she thought, the feeling of terror returning, no, he can't do this. "Erik, no," Heather mumbled, and Erik glanced at her and there was an apology there and no, no she wasn't going to let this happen, not after everything she went through for him.

"Erik, you are not Shaw," Heather pleaded, her voice cracking embarrassingly, "Don't be like him. Don't be like them. Be the better person. Don't do this, please." 

There was a minute of intense silence, tension felt throughout the whole crowd, and Erik's eyebrows furrowed together and his jaw clutchened, almost like he was battling within himself. And after that minute, he looked over at Heather and she could see it in his eyes - he had come to a decision. But before Heather could panic or begin pleading again, Erik let out a shaky breath and yelled out, "Get down!"

Heather didn't need any other warning. She fell to her knees, covering her head with hands, but peeked up at the missiles through her arms and witnessed their explosion far above them, the loose metal falling onto them lightly. Heather stood up shakily, as the realization hit her. Erik had prevented war.

The red one glared at them all as he stepped closer to the other two. "You fools," he accused in a Russian accent, "The humans will never stop trying to kill us. You may have stopped war today, but tomorrow they will be back." He grabbed the suited one's hand, who in turn reached for the dark haired girl's. The girl pulled away as if burned and shook her head wildly. "No, no. I'm staying with them."

The suited one looked as if he wanted to protest, but the teleporter scoffed, "Have it your way," before the two disappeared into a puff of black smoke. The girl turned to look at the group anxiously, and Heather couldn't help but feel sorry for her. "I can understand why you wouldn't want me to join you, but - " The girl paused, sighing, "I was wrong. I admit that now. And - I'd join you, if it's still possible."

Charles responded before anyone really had the chance to process what had been said. "Of course, Angel, all mutants are welcome." Sean, Alex, and Moira all looked a little suspicious, but didn't protest. Heather ignored those looks, instead looking around at the smoking remains and asking, "Anyone else have any idea how we're going to get home?"

________________

With no jet and no teleporter, the group was forced to make a three mile journey through a buggy, damp jungle in hopes of finding a place to stay until they were able to get in contact with someone with a plane home. The tiring walk did not do good things for the already exhausted group, and Heather desperately wanted out of the hot, dirty suit.

It had taken them longer than expected to get out and when they finally reached a city - Santiago de Cuba the signs read - it was already dark. "We'll stay in a hotel," Moira clarified, the exhaustion clear in her tone, "I'll - make some phones calls tomorrow." Walking through the dimly lit cobblestone streets and searching for an inn of sorts, Sean finally asked, "Wait, does anyone here even know how to speak Spanish?"

There was a collective second of panic, and before Heather could comment that she could speak the basics, Erik cleared his throat and spoke for the first time in nearly three hours, "I do." Heather glanced at him in surprise, but he didn't meet her gaze like he usually did. In fact, the man looked rather grim faced and - for some reason, Heather felt hurt as she looked back down to her feet.

When they reached an inn, Erik did all the talking, the fast conversation making it hard for Heather's tired mind to follow along. But she did notice how the woman at the desk was shrieking or freaking out over Hank's appearance, so it was clear Charles was doing some sort of mind trick. Erik approached them, holding out four room keys, and handed them carelessly to Moira, before going to lean against the wall. Heather simply ignored him, instead facing Moira as she assigned rooms.

"Charles, you go with Erik. Heather, you're with Raven," Raven gave her a small smile, "Hank, Alex and Sean, you three are together. Try not to kill each other. And Angel, you're with me." She passed the keys out, and everyone slowly made their way from the lobby to their rooms. 

The room was small, Heather noticed upon entering, with only one bed, a dresser, a tiny bathroom, and a couch with a pull out bed. But she figured it would do for the night. Heather yawned and moved towards the bed, collapsing on top of the blanket, and to her surprise, completely passed out before her head even touched the pillow. 

But the tiredness didn't drive the nightmares away.

Shaw. 

Shaw was throwing a person - a human - at the glass walls.

Crack. Shatter. Crack. Shatter.

But not just anyone - it was Michael, her older brother. He was still dressed in his uniform, now stained dark with his blood, and he was begging, pleading with Shaw to stop, and Shaw looking back at him with a sickening smile, saying over and over, "Kill the humans, kill the humans."

Crack. Shatter. Crack. Shatter.

Heather kept crying out, but no noise came. She tried to run, tried to stop Shaw herself, but it was impossible to move. She kept trying, kept trying to alternate between stopping him and convincing herself it was all a dream.

Crack. Shatter. Crack. Shatter.

To her horror, it changed from Michael to Joey, his suit stained with the red liquid. His baby face cut up and bruised, his eyes pleading for it to end. And Heather screamed.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m so sorry for not updating in such a long time! I’ve been having trouble getting used to my new classes, then there was my friends practically forcing me to start our 5SOS story, and of course – add some writer’s block to that equation.
> 
> Anyway, I’ll try to at least update every week (most likely during the weekends).
> 
> Just 4 more chapters until the end! Can you believe it?

Heather didn't sleep the rest of the next night.

Not a wink.

Each time she slipped and found herself dozing off, each time her eyelids dare closed, she saw Michael and Joey slowly dying, their eyes begging for quick release, while Shaw cackled wickedly as he tossed them to and fro like rag dolls, his voice repeating the same phrase that was now burned into Heather's brain.

_Kill the humans, kill the humans._

When Heather had gotten tired of rolling around and fidgeting restlessly on the bed, she'd slid from the mattress, careful not to wake Raven, and retreated to the bathroom. While the main room had been stuffy and almost suffocating, the bathroom was rather cool - a relief to a clammy and shaky Heather. The bright, fluorescent lights hurt her sensitive eyes at first, but she quickly got over it, as she took a seat next to the bathtub.

She pressed her forehead to the cool porcelain, squeezing her eyes closed and wincing when the image of blood - so much blood - came forward. Just when she thought the bathroom would be her haven...

Her knees pressed to her chest, she began to rock, and her hands found their way to her ears and pressed into them in a desperate, childish attempt to keep the voice out. She bit her lip to keep a pathetic whine from escaping her mouth and her rocking intensified, to the point of Heather banging her hand against the tub - though she barely noticed the pain blossoming as her forehead connected with the porcelain.

She didn't know how long she stayed there, rocking, but it must have been a long time - as her limbs and joints groaned when she crawled into the tub and reached for the handle, pulling it up. The water came from above, to Heather's shock, and she let out a surprised cry at cold, shivering as the water slowly became warmer.

She didn't remove her clothes or move for that matter - instead she stayed where she was, looking rather similar to a wet cat and feeling like she was caving in on herself, her arms wrapped around her knees tightly, as if she keep the whole world out. In the shower, she finally let some frustrated tears slip out - her mind questioning why she was having such a strong reaction to Shaw's death, why he was making a reappearance in her nightmares.

Why he was driving her damn near insanity.

Heather stayed in the shower until the water turned cold once more and she felt somewhat closer to human. She removed her hideous suit quickly, rejoicing silently that they were waterproof, before gently toweling off of her slightly pinkish skin and her messy hair. Once she was dry, she slipped the suit on and left the now steamy bathroom. Heather glanced at Raven, making sure the other girl was sound asleep, which she was, before carefully and quietly making her way out of the room.

She honestly didn't know where she was going, but she supposed a quick walk would - hopefully - clear her mind.

Heather made her way to the lobby, the place almost looking deserted, before she spotted Moira at a small wooden phone, glaring at a blue phone, as she scribbled something down on a piece of paper. That had Heather stopping in her tracks. "What are you doing?" She asked, as she hesitantly made her way over to the desk. Moira glanced over at her in surprise, like she hadn't noticed Heather entering the room, and she let out a defeated sigh. "Making some calls. To get a ride home?"

"And how's that going?"

"Terrible."

Heather blinked in surprise, before looking down at the paper Moira had been writing on, her eyes widening as she scanned over the messy handwriting. "You've called all these people? All - what is that - twenty? And they all said no?" Moira didn't answer, but Heather took her silence as a yes. "Why are they - you know - "

" - Not letting me use their planes? Not supporting me?" Heather was surprised by how Moira snapped, but she didn't look up to meet her doe like gaze, instead continuing in a disgusted tone, like the words actually pained her to spit them out. "Because. I helped you all - I helped my _friends_ , people that _respected_ me until a _certain_ agency. And now I'm known as helping dangerous individuals and no one there trusts me."

Heather stared at her for a moment in silence, not knowing how to respond to that. "But we helped them? We stopped World War III!"

"And some of them are grateful for that. But they don't want to be mixed up with me and have their name tainted forever." Moira let out a frustrated sigh, leaning back against the chair, wincing when her back popped loudly. "We'll just have to find a new way - "

Heather had stopped listening, as an idea had popped up like a lightbulb above her head. " - Moira, I, uh, I have an idea."

Moira raised an eyebrow, an amused look on her face, but she didn't stay anything. Heather took this as a sign to keep going. "I have a friend. His name is Joey. And he works for the FBI - " Moira wrinkled her nose at that, but said nothing, " - and he's really nice, I swear. If I ask, maybe he could find someone and could get a plane down here to get us." Moira furrowed her eyebrows in thought and Heather bounced on the balls of her feet, biting her lip in anxiousness.

She knew Joey would do anything for her - hell, if she asked, he'd swim down here himself - but there was still some doubt. What if Joey couldn't find a plane? Or what if Joey had grown tired of Heather sneaking around with the whole Erik and Edie thing? What if he wasn't willing to help her anymore?

"Why not?"

Heather had been so consumed by her thoughts that she had almost forgotten that she was still waiting for Moira's permission. The younger girl nodded silently, before reaching for the blue phone, Moira watching her like a hawk, as she carefully dialed the numbers.

The phone ringed almost three times and by then, Heather had began to internally panic. She didn't know what time it was in America, what if it was too late or too early, what if he wasn't in his office, should she have called his home phone, maybe she should just hang up - 

But before Heather could remove the phone from her ear, she heard his voice.

"Moran."

Heather let out a sigh of relief, before breathing out. "Joey."

"Heather?" There was a creak, as if Joey had sat or stood up from his old chair. "Hey, I haven't heard from you all week, are you - "

"Joey, I need your help." She couldn't help it, it just slipped out. She hadn't seen him in what seemed like forever and she was always an open book around him. "Well," she backtracked, glancing at Moira, " _We_ need your help."

"What's wrong, Heather? Is everything okay? And - did you say _we_? Who else is there? Is it that Erik guy?"

"Joey, calm down," Heather sighed, trying to contain herself from laughing, "And, uh, yes, Erik is involved. But you need to listen to me, okay?" The silence on the other end confirmed to Heather that Joey was ready, and Heather explained, wincing as she did so, "Alright, well, I'm in Cuba. With Erik. And a few other people, okay? And, uh, we have no way to get back to America. We need your help, Joey. Can you send someone with a plane down to help us?"

Silence. "What?"

Heather snorted, "Do I have to explain it again?"

"No, no, I mean, just - Heather, you're not in trouble, are you?"

"Why do you always assume that?"

"Just a habit." There was the sound of paper being scuffled and moved around rather loudly, like Joey was digging for something. "You do realize I could lose my job, right? Those assholes at the CIA are keeping Cuba under lock and key after what happened yesterday." There was a sudden silence and Heather's eyes widened, but before she could deny anything, Joey continued in a strained voice, "Heather, you didn't have anything to do with that, did you?"

"Uh - "

"Jesus Christ, Heather, how did you - "

" - I'll explain everything when we get to DC, okay? I promise. Just - please, we need you, Joey."

There was a long, over dramatic sigh before Joey muttered into the phone. "Okay, I got a buddy down there. He's a spy for us, you know, for the whole Cuban Rebellion. Helps us keep on eye on things. Name's Cedro and he owns a pretty nice plane."

"Is it big enough to hold nine people?" Heather asked, biting her lip.

"Should be. I'll make a quick call to him to make sure, but he should be fine with it. Usually he flies around noon - " Heather glanced at the clock, which read 10:30, " - but he could always make an exception."

"Thank you, Joey, thank you so much." Moira's eyes widened at that, looking up at Heather in disbelief. "Remember," Joey said sternly, "I need an explanation. You promised, missy." Heather let out a shaky laugh, before answering, "I know, I know. I, uh, gotta go now. I'll see you soon." Joey mumbled something, before hanging up, and Heather let out a relieved sigh. "Holy shit," Moira breathed, "Looks like we're going home."

* * *

 

A few minutes later, everyone else slowly made their way out of their rooms, looking rather tired and sore from yesterday's fight. Moira explained the whole plane situation to the sleepy lot and even talked to Joey when he returned the call to confirm that yes, Cedro would take them and yes, he had enough room for all of them. Meanwhile, Heather - feeling rather hungry - grabbed a few nickels and dimes from her pocket and looked for a vending machine.

After a few minutes of searching, she did find one - in an empty looking back hallway. 

It felt like a scene straight out of a horror film and Heather was tense, ready to bolt at any moment if necessary. But it was silent as she approached the machine and feed her coins into it, taking the bag of chips out of the opening. But like everything good, the silence had to come to an end. "Thank you," a deep voice rang out and Heather let out an embarrassing shriek that got stuck halfway up and came out sounding more like she was choking.

Whipping around to face the person and tell them off, she nearly shrieked again at the sight. The thing - person - _man_ \- before her was a walking, talking rock. While the man was made of gray rock, he had to form and shape of a human, and he had the presence and energy of a ghost - which confused Heather like no other. 

"Thank you," he repeated, "for keeping my friends safe."

Heather felt her face soften, as she took a step closer to the ghost. "Who are you?"

"Armando. But friends called me Darwin."

Darwin. Darwin. "You're the Darwin Alex was talking about," Heather said in a surprised tone. Darwin gave her a pained smile, before adding, "The one and only." They were both silent for a moment, before Darwin continued, "I just - wanted to thank you. For keeping them safe and alive, and taking down that nutjob."

"Nutjob - you mean Shaw?" Something dawned on Heather. "Were you - were you _killed_ by Shaw?"

Darwin stayed silent, but the saddened look on his face said everything. "It doesn't matter anymore," Darwin finally responded after a long pause, "I'm moving on, thanks to you. My wish was fulfilled and now, I'm off to wherever." Before Heather's own eyes, she watched as Darwin changed gracefully from rock to human skin, changing from an odd looking golem to a rather attractive African American man. And then with last smile, Darwin disappeared in a shower of gold.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the wait for this chapter. I recently got another part time job, so life has been pretty stressful. I promised before hand that I would update every week (or at least try), and even though I failed big time on that promise, I'll try to actually follow that this time and update during the weekends. Or at least get a chapter out every other week.
> 
> Big thanks to everyone who favorited the story or commented or just continued to read the story even though I'm terrible at updating; you guys make me strong. And to the people who are just beginning to read No Angels - I'm sorry.
> 
> Originally I had three more chapters planned, but seeing how I had a few loose ends to still tie up, I decided to add another chapter - so four more chapters until the end!

Heather stayed in the hallway for a while after Darwin disappeared.

Leaning against one of the walls, her eyes downcast, she had no idea what to tell the others. Should she just walk back to the lobby and say 'Hey, guess what, I saw your friend, Darwin. Yeah, but don't be expecting any visits from him. He's off to a better place. You know, the great unknown, kingdom come, eternal rest, the Promised Land.'

Or should she even tell them? What if they had all moved on? What if - bringing Darwin up just hurt them all further? Heather remembered the pain and discomfort she had noticed in Alex's eyes when he had brought Darwin up. She knew that she had promised to tell Alex if she saw him but - did she really want to cause him further pain?

Heather let out a sigh, running her hand through her hair, pushing the locks behind her ear, before deciding. I won't tell them yet, she thought to herself, as she stood from her spot, I'll wait until we get home and everyone gets settled. She nodded to herself, seemingly pleased with her own plan, as she made her way back to group, her snack long forgotten.

The group had pulled three couches together to make a circle and were currently laughing and speaking rather loudly to one another (The main culprits being Raven and Sean). The woman at the desk shot them all a glare before mumbling something in Spanish and walking into a back office, slamming the door behind her. They didn't seem to even notice - or maybe they just didn't care.

Heather glanced at the seats for an empty spot, before noticing with a sigh that the only one left was by Erik. She pondered whether sitting on the floor beside either Charles or Raven was an option, before quickly deciding that 1) she and Erik were not fighting, therefore she had no reason to try and avoid him, and 2) it would seem terribly rude.

She paused briefly, before squeezing her way through the sides of the couches and taking her seat beside Erik. Despite Heather's inner hopes, Erik didn't immediately turn to her and begin talking or - apologizing. Instead, the air was filled with silence - silence so tense that even Charles glanced at the two in worry. There was no reason for Heather to feel so awkward or tense around Erik, especially since she'd felt comfortable around him almost from the beginning.

Part of her kept telling herself that she was the one making things worse, that she should turn and start a conversation instead of waiting for Erik to. But - something wasn't right. Erik hadn't been the same since they left the beach; he seemed more emotionally conflicted than usual, he hadn't spoken to her, he hadn't even looked at her - 

Was he angry that Heather stopped him from killing those humans? 

Heather was so consumed by her thoughts that she didn't realize that someone was talking to her until she felt a hand shaking her shoulder. "Heather," the familiar voice called firmly and Heather jumped, before whipping around to face Erik, her face drawn up in surprise and a little embarrassment.

Erik's eyebrows were furrowed in concern, as he asked rather sincerely, "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Heather replied instinctively, "I'm just - tired."

Erik continued to look at her, seemingly not believing a word she said, before sighing. After a small pause, he looked away from her and added, "Well - you can always sleep on the plane." Heather nodded slowly, as a thought came to her. What if they turn her away now? They didn't need her anymore. Erik had killed Shaw, World War III had been prevented, Edie and Erik had been (sort of) reunited. There was no need for a girl who talked to ghosts anymore. 

Especially since she was going nuts.

"Were you - " Heather didn't mean for the question to come out, but now that she began, she needed to finish, " - Were you going to kill those soldiers? With the missiles?" Erik didn't even miss a beat, as he replied, "Part of me wanted to." Heather glanced at him, opening and closing her mouth, trying to found the right words. "If you could - " Heather asked, slowly, catching Erik's gaze, "Would you still do it?"

There was a long pause, the only sound in the room being the others' vibrant conversation - a conversation so very different from their own. "No," he said, his voice almost too quiet to hear. He then cleared his throat, glancing away from Heather's gaze, and continued much louder. "Killing the humans - an entire race - it wouldn't make me any better than Shaw or Hitler." Both were soaked in venom and Erik spit them out rather angrily. Heather didn't know what to say to that, so she simply put her hand on top of his, in an attempt to comfort the older man. He looked back over at her, the surprise evident in his eyes, but she gave him a small smile.

After a moment, he returned it.

______________________________________

They arrived at the jungle surrounded airfield around noon, just like Joey had took them to do, but it seemed like no one was around. "Are you sure this is the right place?" Sean questioned, glancing around at the seemingly deserted area. The grass was overgrown in most places, except for a dirt lane - the runaway, Heather guessed - and a large, old looking shed sat off on the far right side. Moira opened her mouth to reply, but the loud sound of rattling, old engine starting rang through the air, scaring all of them.

The sound was coming from the shed and, as they watched in shock, an older but still rather large plane rolled out. Once it had finally exited, it screeched to a stop, causing Angel to wince, and Moira walked towards the exiting pilot, waving the rest them forward.

As they walked towards the Cedro, Sean leaned over and whispered to Heather. "Are you sure that thing's safe?" Now that Heather got a closer look, she realized it a smaller military cargo plane, something that her brother had showed her pictures of after he went off to war. In 1942.

The plane had to be at least twenty years old. And it looked even older. The paint was chipped and the metal was dented terribly and " - Are those bullet holes?" Sean pointed out fearfully.

Cedro - a short but chubby man - let out a hearty laugh. "Sometimes, leaving the country, " he said in a heavily accented voice, "We get shot at." Sean's eyes widened and he looked at the others, before asking in a high voice, "Shot at - are we really going to trust this plane?" Moira gave him an impressed look. "You have another idea of how to get home?" Sean shook his head. "That's what I thought," Moira responded, before opening the door of the plane and letting herself in.

One by one each of them entered the plane. Heather took a seat in the far end, hoping that the nightmarish images of Shaw had passed and she could finally get some sleep. But just as she began to close her eyes, she felt two familiar people sit on either side of her. "What do you want, Charles?" She asked, her tone was light and teasing, but she was becoming more and more annoyed.

There was a mischievous look in Charles' eyes and just before Heather could do anything - like run away - he began to talk. "I'm planning on turning my home into a school for mutants - " Surprised by that, Heather opened her mouth to interrupt with questions, but a stern look from Charles kept her quiet, " - No questions until the end. It will be a safe place for mutant to learn about their powers and to learn how to control them. Now, I have the others on board with the idea but I'd also like to have you. Would you like to be a teacher at the school?"

Heather stared at Charles in shock for a moment. He wanted her to be a teacher. He didn't want her to leave or to go away. He wanted her to stay with them. "I'm not a teacher," she responded, despite her tongue feeling heavy and numb, "I don't have a certificate or anything to even q - "

" - None of us do," Erik pointed out, "But that didn't stop us from being able to teach each other."

She took Erik's words into thought, as she pondered over the decision. She wouldn't be able to stay at her home in DC, she'd have to move permanently into her room at the mansion. She'd be away from Joey, from her family's graves, from the city she grew up in. It wouldn't be like a simple vacation or trip; she'd be moving away, only visiting when she was able to. 

But she wouldn't be alone anymore. Of course she'd miss Joey, but she'd be surrounded by her own kind, by her new friends, by her students. She wouldn't have to hide her ability every single day. She'd be able to make a difference in her students' lives, she'd be able to help them control their own powers.

Heather took a deep breath, looking between the two, before saying, "Okay - "

" - Great! We still have - "

" - On one condition - "

Charles looked a little bemused at that. " - Alright, what condition?"

Heather paused, thinking about her promise to Joey, before replying, "I get to tell Joey everything. And I mean, everything." Erik raised his eyebrow, glancing over at Charles. "Can we trust him with the truth?" Heather let out an over dramatic sigh, "I know him. I've known him since we were toddlers. He'd understand. And if he doesn't, Charles had use his mind wipe thing and save the day."

Erik opened his mouth to respond, but Charles beat him to it. "Deal," Charles responded brightly, reaching over and shaking Heather's hand, adding in a mocking voice, "Pleasure doing business with you." Heather bit her lip, trying not to smile, as she shook his hand in return. "Pleasure's all mine."

A silence fell over the remaining two, before Erik slid down in his seat and closed his eyes. "I don't know about you, but I'm taking a nap." Heather let out a laugh, "Sweet dreams." The side of Erik's mouth turned up in a smirk, before he mumbled once more, "Always." A few minutes later, Raven made her way over to the empty seat beside Heather and cooed when she saw Erik asleep. "Aw, he doesn't look like a serial killer now," she snickered, before Heather, trying not to laugh, shushed her.

Heather thought the ride would a little more peaceful and eventless after that, but some how, half way through the flight, she became both Raven and Erik's pillow.


	15. Chapter 15

"Heather!"

Heather didn't even have time to turn around and face whoever was it that had called her name - not that she really needed to, the minute it had come out of his mouth she had known. To her surprise, however, two strong arms wrapped around her middle from behind, picking her up and swirling her around excitedly. Heather let out a surprised squeak, squirming and struggling against Joey's chest in an attempt to get down and just get this whole thing over with.

It wasn't like she wasn't happy to see Joey.

She was; she really was. In fact, she was over the moon about seeing her best friend for first time in weeks.

Just - she wasn't happy about the circumstances.

Not only did she feel exhausted and dreary, but she was going to explain the single most important thing about herself to her childhood friend and risk being either A.) rejected, B.) turned into the government, or C. All of the above. Just thinking of it made her feel sick to her stomach. And the swirling was not helping.

"Come on, Joey," Heather laughed, trying to her tone light and joking, "Put me down." Joey obeyed - settling Heather down on her uneasy legs. She wobbled a bit at first, not that Joey noticed - no, he was too busy noticing the rest of the group, who had been watching the exchange curiously and silently.

They had arrived in Washington DC only thirty minutes before and were currently sat in Heather's apartment - old apartment, she thought to herself, as she looked rather solemnly around her living room. There was so much to do, so much to pack. She'd have to put the place up for sale and get everything up to Westchester and buy a new bookshelf because her's was currently being held together by tape and maybe a new bed frame now that she thought about it and -

Heather glanced at Erik and found that he was frowning deeply, an uneasy look in his eyes as he peered over at Joey. She wondered briefly if he was worried about Joey spilling their secrets, but didn't have time to question it as Joey had began to speak. "Well, it's about time I met you all," Joey laughed carelessly, "I was beginning to think Heather was pulling my leg."

Heather elbowed Joey, just Moira stepped forward to speak. "I know that our agencies don't get along - very well, " she said in a strained tone, "But thank you. For helping us out of there." Joey rubbed his side gently, throwing a glare at Heather, but looking at Moira curiously. "A CIA agent? Thanking me? An FBI agent?" Moira didn't move from her moment, remaining silent, though her nose crinkled. "Why, the world must be going mad."

Moira was silent for another moment, before nodding stiffly and glancing at Heather - oh no, oh no, it was go time. Heather hesitated for a second, wondering if there was a possibility she could back out of it at that moment, before Moira cleared her throat and announced, "I think Heather has to tell you something."

Heather glared daggers at Moira, as Joey looked down at her curiously. "What do you have to talk to me about, Feather?" Heather bit her lip, looking around the room at the other mutants - who had all suddenly become grossly involved in a conversation of their own. Or if they were Sean, had discovered an interesting stain on the couch. "How about we go to the kitchen?" Heather offered weakly and Joey nodded, the two making their way to the other room.

"You know," Joey began, "I'm kind of hoping I get the answer to why you all are wearing the same outfit. Suit. Thing." His eyebrows furrowed, and he opened his mouth to continue his rant, but Heather held her hand up, stopping him. If she was going to do it, she needed to get it over with.

"I'm a mutant."

Joey blinked. "What?"

"I'm a mutant."

Two blinks this time. "Wait - what?"

Heather sighed. "I'm a m - "

" - No, no, no," Joey shook his head wildly, "I got it the first few times. I just mean - what do you mean you're a mutant? Heather, is this because kids used to call you freak? Because we talked about this. You're perfectly fi - "

Heather let out a loud groan. "God, no, Joey. Just - listen to me, okay?" She took a deep breath, trying to convince that she was doing the right thing, before she began. "I can see ghosts. Well, okay, I can do more than that, but that's just the general idea. And, uh, a woman named Edie came to me and asked me to find her son. Remember Erik?" Joey nodded slowly. "Yeah, that was, uh, that was him."

"And when I found him, I decided to stay behind and help them, uh, defeat Shaw. Sebastian Shaw. He was a complete nutjob - " Not that you're any better right now, she thought to herself, " - and he wanted to end the world with nuclear bombs. But we stopped him so - nothing to worry about anymore."

Joey was silent for a while, his mouth hanging open a bit. Heather bit her lip again, her stomach dropping fearfully at the silence, before she weakly questioned, “Are you going to say anything?”

Heather suddenly found herself wrapped up in a tight hug, her nose being squashed rather weirdly against Joey's chest. "Jeez, Heather," Joey said finally, "I just - I'm sorry I didn't know before." Heather tried to say something - anything to comfort him, but the words died in her throat when Joey pulled away, holding her away from him at arms length. His babyish face looked wrecked - like he'd just seen Bambi's mom get shot. 

"I love you, Heather. You're - you're like a sister to me. I just wish you would have told me before."

"I wanted to," Heather insisted, "I was just - scared."

Joey hugged her again, adding softly, "Don't be. You can trust me." Heather felt her eyes tear up. She had never had the chance to tell her brother or father about the power - they both had been long dead by the time she had discovered the name for it. And the first person she had ever told had screamed and wailed at her, insisting she was a freak, that she was a curse. Nothing more than a dirty mutant.

The first people to accept her had been her own kind. 

And for the longest time, she never wanted to tell Joey; afraid that he'd react similar to her mother. 

But she had been proven wrong.

The two hugged for another minute, before they parted, each wearing a small smile. Heather's smile, however, faded once she remembered what else she had to tell Joey. "I'm also, uh, going make to New York with the others. To start a mutant school. I'm going to be a teacher." Joey raised an eyebrow in surprise, questioning her further. "Don't you need, like, a teaching degree?" Heather shrugged. Joey was silent for a moment, before saying, "Do you - Are you going to be alright up there?"

Heather thought of her friends, of the other mutants she'd be meeting. "Yeah. I'll be alright."

_____________________________________

The bus set for Westchester had just arrived when Moira announced she was staying. All of their heads - even Joey's - whipped around to look at the woman in surprise. "Are you sure?" Charles asked, his blue eyes wide. Moira nodded, crossing her arms. "I have a job to do. I can't just leave. And it's my place now that the crisis had been avoided."

They all continued to look at her in silent shock, before she cleared her throat, suddenly looking awkward, "I'm not - I - I'll still try and keep in contact with you all. To update you on what's happening with the CIA." Joey came and wrapped his arm around her shoulder, squeezing her. "Same goes for me. You guys need anything, just talk to us." 

"Thank you," Charles said, "Thank you both so much. Especially you, Moira." Moira's eyes widened, like she hadn't expected their gratitude. But she took it all in gracefully. 

The bus honked impatiently and the group finished their goodbyes quickly, before boarding the bus and watching as the two lonely figures slowly became smaller and smaller.

__________________________________________

4 hours later, the group arrived at the mansion and Heather was finally, finally, able to peel out of her dirty suit. She wrinkled her nose at the sweat covered piece of material, before tossing it in the basket beside her shower. Entering under the warm stream of water, Heather sighed happily, closing her eyes to enjoy the warmth that spread throughout her body, relaxing and massaging her poor muscles. 

After scrubbing the filth from her body, which left her skin bright red, Heather leaned her forehead against the wall of the shower, wondering if she would be able to finally get some sleep, even if it was only for a few seconds. She let herself drift off slowly, before she heard the sudden, almost realistic sound of shattering glass. 

Heather startled easily, her eyes flying open, as she jumped. Her hand reached out and yanked the curtain open, expecting to find the worst. She looked about the room, hoping to find a source for the noise, but no luck. The mirror remained intact and there was no sign of glass anywhere. Feeling shaken and rather cold despite the warm water, Heather turned off the shower and dried herself off quickly, before hurrying out of the room.

She dressed herself in her pajamas and just as she was pulling back the covers of her bed, she noticed someone in the corner. "Hi, Edie," Heather said with a small, weary smile, "How are you?"

Edie smiled back, before coming to sit on the edge of the bed. "Good, better," she then caught sight of the dark spots under Heather's eyes, a frown coming to her face, "Have you not been sleeping well?" Heather considered lying, but instead she sighed and nodded. "Just - nightmares," she claimed, "But they're getting better."

Edie pursed her lips, looking at her silently and for a second Heather thought Erik must of gotten that habit from her - the way they furrowed their eyebrows when they weren't convinced of something. "I thought killing Shaw would free you," Heather added weakly, wanting to change the subject. Edie's face dropped and she sighed. "I was hoping. Maybe I'm just doomed here."

"Hey, hey," Heather scooted closer to Edie, "You're not - there's always hope, Edie. We just need to think harder, okay?" Edie's smile returned, though it looked a little more pained. Just then, Heather remembered something she had meant to question the older ghost about. "When we were in the sub and all those other ghosts were with us," she questioned slowly, "there - there was a little girl? Next to you? Who was she?"

There was only silence, and, for a moment, Heather worried Edie hadn't heard her, so she opened her mouth to repeat herself, but Edie stopped her, speaking in a small, tight voice. "She was my daughter."

Heather looked at Edie in horror, but Edie didn't meet her gaze, instead her eyes were fixed on the bed sheet. "Edie - "

"Ruth. That was her name. She was born in Poland, after we had fled Germany and the Nazis. Just a year and a half when we were forced in the Ghettos." Edie swallowed deeply, her pale hands shaking, and Heather wanted to plead her to stop, but she also wanted to hear more. "Polish winters - they are rather harsh and that winter, our first winter there, a bout of flu went around. We - we tried to make sure Erik and Ruth didn't get sick. So many babies, so many children were dying. One day, Ruth came inside coughing. Just a simple cough, nothing more. The next day, she was throwing up, she couldn't keep anything inside of her for very long."

Edie sniffled, wiping harshly at her eyes. "She died in my arms a week after. She had just turned 2." She took in a shaky breath, before continuing, "Erik blamed himself for years. He was the older brother, 12 years old when she had been born. Said he should have told her no when she wanted to play outside, should have protected her better."

Heather didn't realize she was crying until she heard herself let out a shaky breath. She wiped at her wet cheeks, before she choked out, "Edie, I - I'm so sorry. I can't even imagine that." Heather had no other words she could say to comfort this woman - this poor woman. She simply wrapped her arms around her body, ignoring the cold touch that came from the embrace.

_______________________________________________________________

The first thing Heather heard was screaming. She didn't remember falling asleep, but she did remember Edie tucking the sheets around her body and whispering a good night, and now all she was hearing was screaming, a sudden contrast from the quietness from the night before. At first Heather thought it was part of a nightmare, but when she blinked her eyes open and the screaming didn't stop, she knew there was a problem.

"Heather, oh my god, Heather, what did you - "

Raven then, Raven was screaming.

Heather sat up and was greeted by the sight of blood. Blood was covering the sheets. She looked at them in horror, before she found the source of the bright red - her right hand, which was covered in large cuts and small shards of glass. She didn't feel a thing, her entire body feeling numb and heavy. "What did you do, Heather?" Raven screeched, "Why would you do this?"

Heather looked up from her fist to the mirror in the room, her mouth falling open in horror.

The glass was shattered.

___________________________________________

"And you don't remember a single thing?"

Heather winced as Hank tugged the needle through her skin. "Ow," she hissed, to which the furry man mumbled, "Don't move then." She looked back at Erik, who was looking at her with a mixture of frustration and concern. "I don't remember anything. I went to bed, I woke up, I was bleeding from my ha - Ow!"

"Stop moving!"

Heather crinkled her nose, before continuing, "Sometimes, ghosts can put me in these fugue states. But they've never made me do something like this." Hank announced, "There. Done." He wrapped a bandage around her fist and Heather wiggled her fingers experimentally, wincing when a small pain shot up her arm. Charles, who had been silent for most of the exchange, asked curiously, "So do we have a demon here?"

Heather shook her head slowly. "No. I - don't think so. I've dealt with one before. They have strong presences and all I see here are just normal ghosts." It was silent for a second before Erik frowned and added, "Normal ghosts that seem to want you hurt."


	16. Chapter 16

Over the course of the next few days, things got surprisingly worse. 

Heather barely slept - and when she did, the nightmares that followed left her shaking and biting her lip hard enough to taste blood in an attempt to stop any screams from escaping her mouth. She didn't tell the others, no matter how many times they all asked if she was okay, if she was sleeping well. They believed her at least - thinking that she was having a hard time adjusting or that she was just so focused about the new school. But there was only so many times that the I'm just tired excuse could work. Although she knew Charles would never look into her mind without permission, she still tried to create a mental block, a rather wimpy mental block but a block nonetheless. It was her problem, she didn't need any of them worrying so much.

No matter where she went in the mansion, she left like she was being followed. Heather found herself looking over her shoulder multiple times a day, anxiety churning low in her stomach. It wasn't like she had never been watched before. She had felt other ghosts' presences all the time - she was almost completely used to Edie's. But something was different with this ghost.

Something was wrong with this ghost.

It wanted to hurt her.

It had made that clear.

It wanted her cowering and fearful. It wanted her broken and insane.

It wanted her in pain.

______________________

"This is it."

Charles opened the door and moved out of the way, letting Heather into the room. Heather stepped inside, stopping to have a good look around. It wasn't very big but it wasn't terribly small - in fact, she would dare call the room cozy. The walls were a faded tan color and the floors were good, solid wood - no creaks were heard as she walked across it. On the opposite wall were three windows, and to Heather's surprise, there was already a chalkboard, a teacher's desk, and a few tiny looking student desks.

"This is all mine?" Heather questioned, coming to stand beside the teacher's desk - her desk, god, she was a teacher now. "Of course," Charles hummed, "We'll add a few more desks when we start getting students, but I think - "

"You think I'll even have students?" Charles blinked at Heather's nonchalant question, before replying, "Yes, I don't see why - "

Heather turned to face Charles and waved her hand to interrupt them. "I mean, everyone else will probably have tons of students. But I doubt I'll have any. I'm teaching a Necromancer class, for gods' sake. Which, I also would like to point out is named incorrectly. Necromancer is someone who controls the dead and I can't even do that, I kind of doubt my students will - "

" - Heather," Charles stopped her, his laughter barely contained. Heather felt her cheeks redden from embarrassment, choosing to keep her mouth closed rather than apologize for babbling. "There has to be at least one child out there with powers similar to yours. And that child will need guidance." Charles gave her a comforting smile and Heather let out a loud sigh. "You know, I kind of hate how optimistic you are."

"You'll get used to it."

"I doubt it."

For one of the first times that week, a smile found its way on to Heather's face. Charles must have noticed because his eyes lit up and he was opening his mouth and oh no, he was going to ask - "I feel like I haven't seen you smile since we got back."

Oh no. "I'm just - I've just been really tired." Even Heather winced at her answer. But to her surprise, Charles only nodded. "I have to check on the others, but if you need anything, just - " He tapped his index to his forehead, flashed a quick smile and hurried out of the room, closing the door behind him. Heather let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding before plopping down on her seat.

She knew she'd have to tell them all at some point. Sooner or later they would figure it all, and Heather was being honest when she said she wasn't excited to see their reactions. She knew they'd probably react with kindness and understanding, but the irrational part of her said they'd react with anger, with hate.

A movement out of the side of her eye caught her attention. She turned her head to look and was shocked by what she found.

The door had been opened half way and a little girl - a toddler - was peeking in, before her eyes caught Heather's and froze. 

"Ruth," Heather mumbled, her eyes widening in realization, "Oh - Ruth." Ruth moved quickly to cower behind the door, her little hands holding onto the edge and her little blue eyes appearing every once in a while for just a second before she would realize Heather was still looking and continue to cower. She's shy, Heather thought to herself, she's shy. Heather stood up slowly, like she was approaching a wild animal, before calling out softly, "Ruth, it's okay. I'm not going to hurt you." The minute she took one step towards the toddler, however, Ruth let out a small shriek and hid completely.

When Heather reached the door, Ruth was gone.

_____________________

"Mine's going to be the scariest."

"Oh yeah?"

"Oh yeah."

"Well, we'll see about that."

Heather glanced up at Raven and Angel, before wrinkling her nose when her hand came in contact with the cold, wet insides of the pumpkin in front of her. It was Halloween and Heather had stupidly agreed to help the two girls with carving pumpkins, despite having no idea how to do it. She scooped a handful of the squishy mess up before throwing it down on the tray next to her.

"I'm thinking of making a vampire," Raven announced, her tongue sticking out in concentration as she drew on the pumpkin with a thick marker, "Or maybe Frankenstein."

"I'm making a werewolf," Angel claimed proudly, before asking, "What are you making, Heather?"

Heather wrinkled her nose again, before replying, "I'm not sure. Maybe like - " Of course she blanks on any horror film ever created, " - Uh, a ghost." Very original.

Raven's eyes brightened, however, and Angel laughed. "Yes! That's perfect!" Raven exclaimed, and for a moment, Heather felt a weight be lifted off of her chest, leaving her feeling lighter and more carefree - the most she'd felt since arriving back at the mansion. The three spent a good part of the evening laughing and joking, making funny comments about the other's jack-o-lantern and sometimes even tossing the pumpkin guts at one and other.

And if Raven's vampire was missing a nose or Angel's werewolf had too big of a mouth or Heather's ghost was pretty lopsided, well then, no one really cared.

__________________________

Something was holding her down. Heather tried to move back, but there was something on top of her, making sure she couldn't move. When she opened her eyes, however, she wasn't able to see anything. Nothing at all. She opened her mouth to scream but nothing came out, no noise. Suddenly, she couldn't breath. The darkness was suffocating her, coming in her nose and mouth like it was trying to drown her. She tried to take in deep, gasping breaths but nothing happened, nothing came through her panicky lungs, and she kept struggling and struggling and screaming and screaming until - 

Heather sat up in a cold sweat and before she could stop herself, she let out a blood curdling scream. And she kept screaming when a lamp turned on and a pair of arms wrapped around her, her face slamming in someone's chest.

Her scream cut off with a loud, choking sob and she couldn't help herself - she let herself be placed in Erik's lap, she let him hold her as he yelled at the others to stay away, she let him rock her like she was a crying infant. She didn't care, she didn't care. "Heather," Erik said, the concern in his voice making her sick. He pulled away, looking her in the eyes. "What happened? What's wrong?"

"Shadow," Heather choked out, "D-darkness. I - I couldn't breath. I can't - I can't br - "

"Shh, Heather," Erik calmed her softly, "It's okay, it was just a dream. Just breathe." Heather tried to take a deep breath, but failed. "I can't, I can't. Erik," her hands held on tightly to his biceps, "Erik, something bad is going to happen," she sobbed in a panic, "Something bad is going to happen again. I just know, Erik, I just know."

Heather found her face pressed into Erik's chest once more, as he continued to try and calm her down. It took a few minutes before Heather's breathing returned to normal and she felt her eyelids drooping, as well as a massive headache coming on. She expected Erik to lay her down, pat her on the head, then get the hell out of the room.

But he didn't. 

_______________________ 

Waking up beside Erik wasn't awkward. Waking up beside Erik after you had a breakdown in his arms? Now that was awkward. After waking up and rolling over to find Erik sound asleep in her bed, Heather tried not to shriek in horror (and embarrassment) before scrambling out of the bed. 

What was even more embarrassing was the fact that Erik was by her side almost the whole day, like she was a little flower that was going to burst into tears at any moment and need a hug again. She wanted to thank him for what he had done, at the same time that she wanted to shove him down the stairs. 

On one of the occasions when Erik wasn't around her, she took a quiet and rather peaceful walk around the grounds. As she headed back towards the mansion, however, she spotted Alex sitting on the stone wall, silently looking at over the rest of yard. This is your chance, Heather told herself, before making her way over to the boy, You need to tell him about Darwin.

Heather paused when she came to stand next to him, before deciding to sit on the wall too. With her short legs swinging over the wall, the two remained awkwardly quiet, before Heather cleared her throat. "I - I saw Darwin. Your friend?" Alex perked up at that. "He said his wish was to make sure we defeated Shaw safely so - he's gone off to a better place." The air around them seemed less tense and when Heather glanced over at Alex, she saw him wipe furiously at his eyes. "Just thought I'd tell you." The younger boy didn't say anything - just nodded wildly and continued to sniffle a little bit here and there - but they didn't need to say anything. Nothing more could really be said. Until the sun sunk below the horizon, the two sat outside together, just enjoying the chilly, October breeze.

__________________

Later that night, while Heather sat on her bed, a book in her lap, the lights began to flicker. She looked up at the light fixture in confusion, before jumping when the door to her room slammed shut extremely hard. With her heart racing faster, Heather put her book down carefully and stood, looking at the door in door.

It wasn't the wind, there was no way in hell that a gust of wind would do that. The lights continued to flicker for several more seconds, before stopping altogether. The only noise is the room for a moment was Heather's breathing, as she waited tensely for something - anything - to happen. But when nothing did, she began to relax. Maybe it was just a ghost trying to get attention.

But then Heather heard a deep, familiar laugh.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was terrible, I'm so sorry. Either way, welcome to the climax and the third to last chapter.
> 
> If you guys have any questions about the story or the characters or whatever, just put them in the comments.


	17. Chapter 17

Heather didn't have another second to think before she was hurled against the wall opposite to the door. The pain spread quickly throughout her back, making her wonder if she had managed to finally break her back. The pain was slowly beginning to fade, but before Heather could recover fully, she was picked up by the invisible force once more and thrown at the door. Her shoulder slammed into the wood and she let out a cry in pain.

"Heather?" a voice called out through the door. It was Erik and he was trying to open the door frantically, the door and knob shaking with his effort. "Heather, open the door." Another voice, Raven, cried out, "Heather, what's wrong? Its just us. Heather, please open the door." She wanted to tell them the truth, that a mad ghost was going nuts on her at the moment, but instead she made the mistake of looking in front of her.

Heather couldn't breathe; she couldn't move, she couldn't think straight and she couldn't understand. "No," her voice came out as a whimper as she tried to scoot closer to the door and further away from him, "No, this isn't possible."

He looked the same way he had when she had helped kill him. His pig like eyes, his wrinkled skin, his thin face, and his fancy black suit that looked remotely clean - except for the large dark stain on the front and back, right where his heart was. 

"Anything is possible," Shaw said in the furiously calm voice of his, "You should know that by now, my dear." He walked closer to her, a dark flare in his eyes, and Heather desperately tried to move away from his touch, but he simply tsked like she was a small child. "You know, after the little trick you pulled in Cuba, it took me a while to get my strength up and to get used to these - new powers." Ina blink of an eye, Heather found herself sailing across the room, striking the far wall once more. 

"Heather!" Raven and Erik continued to bang on the door, but it was no use. Heather wiped away the tears streaming down her face, desperate for Shaw not to see, but by the wicked smile on his face, she knew he had seen. "And now," Shaw continued, "That I'm strong once more, I'm going to kill you."

Heather's breathing quickened, as she scrambled away. She was going to die, oh god, she was going to die for real this time. Shaw was going to kill her and then probably kill Erik and Raven or make them find her body, oh god. He took another step towards her and Heather screamed out, "Stop!" To her surprise, the lights flickered once more and the warmth inside of her shot out through her fingertips. Shaw yelped and Heather's eyes widened. She had used her astral manipulation to hurt Shaw, hurt a ghost. Never before had she been able to do that.

Seeing that Shaw was disorientated at the moment, she saw it as the perfect (and only) moment to banish him.

She had learned the trick at age six, when a mean ghost - a demon, she would later realize - tormented her for a month: pulling her pigtails, scratching her back and legs, whispering evil words, and even pushing her mother down the stairs at one point. She had looked the demon in the eyes - its horrid red eyes - and told it strongly to go away. It took multiple times for it to work but it did. And it never came back.

She looked Shaw straight in his pig like eyes and said, "I banish you." For one second, nothing happened and Shaw furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. But slowly, the shadows of the room left their normal positions and came together, before wrapping themselves around Shaw and dragging him towards the center of the room. The mansion began to rock wildly, things falling from their sleeves, some shattering, as Shaw began to scream and desperately reach out for something to hold onto, but it was no use to fight against them.

There was no turning back now.

They dragged him through the floor and Heather winced and covered her ears as Shaw's scream turned into an inhuman howl of rage and pain. The mansion stilled suddenly and the scream faded away, but Heather didn't move her hands from her ears, the sound of the scream still bouncing around in her head. 

She heard the door slam open and the other run into the room, but she didn't move her hands until she felt Charles gently remove them from her ears himself. They all crowded around her, their faces pale and scared but mainly worried. Raven pushed her way through the crowd, a wet rag in her hand. She pressed the cold cloth against her nose, which Heather began to realize was bleeding once more. "What the hell happened?" Sean asked in bewilderment. 

Heather paused for a moment, wiping the sticky blood away from her mouth before responding. "Shaw - he came back." All of their eyes widened and Erik looked so angry, like he was seriously ready to go beat up a ghost. "He's gone now," she quickly added, "He's not coming back, ever." 

_______

After taking a shower and having Hank check over her back and shoulder, saying she'd just be sore for a few days, Heather went back to her room, wanting to be free of everyone's watchful stares. She was glad they were looking out for her, don't get her wrong, but she was tired and she just wanted to be alone for a little bit. 

But of course, she was only alone for a total of three minutes before Edie appeared. Heather let out a sigh, but sat up from underneath her covers. "How are you feeling?" Edie questioned, sitting on the edge of her bed. "Tired. And a little annoyed." Edie raised her eyebrow, and Heather continued, "I just - they're all acting like I'm going to collapse at any moment. Like - like I'm weak. I'm not weak, Edie."

"I know you're not," Edie said in a comforting voice, "And they know you're not. They were just scared of losing you. And when you're scared of something, you do stupid stuff."

Heather gave a small smile, leaning her head down on Edie's shoulder, as the older woman patted her back comfortingly. They were silent for a moment, before Heather decided to open her big mouth. "I wish we could figure out what's keeping you here."

Edie was silent before she slowly said, "I know."

"Maybe - what was your last words to Erik?"

"I told him everything would be alright," Edie answered, not missing a beat. Heather's heart hurt a little at that, but asked. "Anything else?" Edie shook her head before adding, "I wanted to say more but I got cut off." That caught Heather's attention.

"You got cut off?"

Edie nodded once more and Heather could have done a victory dance. "Edie!" She laughed, "I think - You just need to talk to Erik, you know, finish up your last words, and you'll be free!"

"But Erik can't see or hear me."

"Just leave it to me."

___________ 

Charles had told her anything was possible if she used her astral manipulation.

Heather held Patrick closer to her chest and closed her eyes, Charles giving her an odd look. "What are you - "

" - Shhh, I'm trying to concentrate. "

Charles fell quiet, as Heather took a deep breath and tried to think of happy memories. She thought of her mother's funeral, standing at the graveyard alone, an orphan at the age of seventeen. She thought of how the Morans welcomed her into their home afterwards, how it was such a change from her home. Her home had been so cold and lifeless for years, but at the Moran home - there were babies crying, small children giggling and playing, and laughter throughout.

Mr. Moran - an abusive drunk - had left a year before and life had blossomed throughout the house, despite Mrs. Moran being left to care for their seventeen children on her own, with only a small teaching paycheck to support them. At first, it had been chaos for Heather. She tried to help with the cooking and cleaning, but all together she felt cramped and useless. Over the year she lived them, however, she began to feel more like a member of the family, more like child number eighteen.

The familiar warmth spread through out her, but instead of turning into a zap, it slowly made it's way to her arms, where Patrick was sleeping, and gently exited through there. She peeked through her eyes at Charles' face to find him - staring back and forth between her and Patrick in shock.

He could see him.

Charles could see Patrick.

If she didn't have a sleeping baby in her arms, Heather would have jumped and whooped in happiness. Instead, she bit her lip, hoping to contain her squeals of joy. She stepped forward, offering the infant to Charles. "Patrick," she whispered, "Meet Charles. Charles, meet Patrick."

Charles looked at her cautiously before taking the tiny boy in his arms carefully. "He's real," Charles mumbled, "He's - he's really real." It was then that Heather realized that by learning she could make ghosts visible, she wasn't just helping Erik or Edie, she was also helping Charles. Charles had finally met the brother he never got to know.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New laptop! It only took a month to get but it's worth it! School's also out for summer, so I'm going to write more!
> 
> Holy shit! There's only one more chapter for this story! Can you believe it?


	18. Chapter 18

"Where are you taking me?"

Heather didn't respond to Erik's question, just continued to pull him through the halls of the mansion, making sure no one was following them. She had to pull harder on the older man's hand - seeing as he was reluctant to follow her and was acting like a dead weight. When they had finally entered the sitting room - the same one they had meet in, Heather realized - Heather dropped his hand and prepared herself.

"Are you going to tell me what's so important?"

"I've been practicing."

Erik let out a fake groan, a twinkle in his eyes and smile growing on his face. "Practicing what? Your people skills?" Heather couldn't help but smile back - she felt giddy with both helping Edie and Erik joking around with her. But more so with helping Edie. At least, that's what she told herself. "No," she laughed, "There's no possible way of helping that. But seriously. I may have figured out how to help your mom."

Erik's eyes softened and any reluctance or joking seemed to disappear. "What?" He asked, "What do we need to do?"

Heather glanced around the room, to make sure Edie was near her, before finding her right beside her, a small nervous smile on her face. "Well, okay, I just need - give me minute to focus, alright?"

Erik nodded eagerly, his eyes never leaving Heather, as her own closed. Good thoughts, she chanted to herself, good memories. The first one that came to her mind was the Christmas Eve before her brother went off to war. She remembered sitting on her father's strong knee and looking up at the bright colors on their tree, the ones that her mother had spent hours finding - just so that the colors were perfect for them. She remembered her parents letting both of them own the present they had gotten them - with promises of Santa's gifts coming the next morning.

Her brother had gotten a fine new coat - a royal blue color that was handsome on him - and a gorgeous watch, while she had received a new teddy bear and a beautiful blue dress - the same dress that she would end up wearing to her brother's funeral. 

She remembers her brother and her leaving out cookies and milk for Santa Claus - despite over hearing him tell her mother that the tradition was ridiculous. Heather had been angry at first but forgave Michael quickly when he suggested leaving carrots for the reindeer. That night, she fell asleep against her brother's chest, after demanding they stay up and wait for Santa to come.

Despite the awful ache in her chest, the familiar warmness spread throughout her body. When the spark left her, she felt cold all over and rather shaky - both of which had never happened to her before while doing this. She ignored the feeling, however, when she heard Erik gasp. She opened her eyes and saw that the Edie and Erik were staring at each other - their eyes wide and filled with tears. They didn't move for a minute, as if they expected the illusion to go away in the blink of an eye, but when it didn't, they hurried towards each other, throwing their arms around each other, before pulling away, Edie's hands placing themselves on Erik's cheeks.

Heather looked at her feet, trying to keep from swaying too much. Her head felt light and strange, and she had no idea what was happening, but she heard the two rattling off in German and she decided to not listen in - after all Edie's last words were for Erik and Erik only. 

Before she knew it, Heather was being picked up in a hug. "Thank you," Edie laughed tearfully, "Thank you, thank you, thank you." Heather laughed lightly, her head protesting the sudden movement but she didn't say anything because - this was it. Edie's wish had been fulfilled. When Heather caught sight of Edie, however, she was shocked. Right before her eyes, Edie was transforming.

Her bony body turned into a healthier looking figure, her tan skin looked youthful, her lips were fuller, her dark hair curled and her eyes twinkled - much like her son's. The woman before her was beautiful and like Edie in every way. Heather forgot about her dizziness as her eyes blurred with fresh tears. Noticing this, Edie held the younger girl tighter, before whispering in her ear, "Erik needs a woman like you."

Heather let out a wet laugh, her cheeks brightening, especially when she saw Edie's playful wink. It was then that Heather noticed how golden and glowing Edie looked, a sign that she was close to moving on. "Edie," Heather began in astonishment but the woman silenced her, before whispering in her ear, "Auf Wiedersehen, mein Schatz. Mein zukünftiger Schwiegertochter." Before Heather could even ask, Edie pulled away from her and stood in the middle of the room, blowing them each a quick kiss. 

With a wide and brilliant smile on her face, Edie Lehnsherr disappeared into a shower of gold.

There was silence in the room for a moment before Heather and Erik were hugging tightly, Erik's chin rested on the smaller girl's head. "She's really gone," Heather mumbled in Erik's shirt, and Erik nodded slowly. Heather swallowed the lump in her throat, before a smile found its way onto her face. "She's in a better place," she mumbled once more, though the sound came out rather muffled.

"What?"

"She's in a better - "

Erik pulled away slightly from their embrace, laughing, a lightness in his eyes and over his face that Heather had never seen before. "Now that you're not suffocated, mind repeating?" Heather rolled her eyes, but repeated, "She's in a better place." Erik hummed in agreement before releasing Heather. It was then that Heather remembered her dizziness and - accidentally - fell back into his arms. 

Erik laughed. "What's wrong?"

"Dizzy," Heather responded simply, blinking her blurry eyes. Erik smiled at her before replying, "Must have used too much of your powers while practicing. Come on, time for you to take a nap." Heather pouted at that, mumbling, "I'm not a baby." But she followed him anyway.

___________________

"How can we believe you?"

Later that day, in the same sitting room, the entire group sat around in the many couches, their faces solemn. In front of them, stood the mutants Riptide and Azazel. The two had arrived at the mansion only ten minutes before, their presence greeted by Alex trying to shoot at them with his beam. Charles had called a truce, insisting that the two have their word before they try to attack them. Alex simply grumbled and sat in the corner, throwing dirty glares at the mutants as they talked.

"I mean, no offense," Heather asked, "But weren't you calling us stupid for not killing those humans? Why would you want to join us?"

"We still think you are fools for not killing the humans," Azazel said, his Russian accent rather thick, "But even if we don't agree with you, this is a safe haven, is it not?"

"Yes," Charles replied slowly, "It is but - " Azazel clapped, interrupting, " - Then we will stay. It is dangerous world for mutants. The government is trying to find us, trying to examine us. It will not be long before they hurt us." Heather felt Erik stiffen next to her and she glanced at him nervously. 

There was silence for a moment, before Charles sighed. "There will be no hurting humans under my roof - "

"Charles!" Hank and Alex yelled at the same time, shock in their eyes, but Charles kept talking like nothing happened. "Unless a human hurts you, you will not hurt them. Even then, no killing please." Glancing over at the boys' surprised faces, he added. "We're all mutants here. We're all one. And if someone is prepared to protest to that, I'd be happy to discuss the matter with them."

No one spoke up. 

___________________

As Thanksgiving slowly approached, the house - thanks in part to Angel and Raven - went through a makeover, each occupied room decorated with different sized pumpkins and squashes and different colored leaves. The home had a smell that reminded Heather of pumpkin pie - the kind her grandmother loved to make - and now had a warm atmosphere, instead of the one Heather had felt when she first wanted in.

The halls were filled with laughter and music, as Raven slipped a record into the record player that stand in one of the larger family rooms. "I love this song," Angel laughed, as a Dee Dee Sharp song played, before the two began to dance. The rest of the group watched them, either rolling their eyes and laughing along with them. Catching sight of Azazel standing awkwardly beside the bunch, Raven's eyes twinkled mischievously and she rushed towards him, gripping his arms tightly and laughing, as she pulled him to where she and Angel were dancing.

Azazel's eyes widened and he looked like he'd just poof away but instead they began to teach him how to do the mashed potato, all three laughing whether one of them messed up. "Oh hell no," Sean said, stepping towards, "Watch and learn from the master." Alex rolled his eyes, joining the dance floor next, claiming Sean was anything but the master of dance. 

Both Riptide and Hank followed, shy glances at one another before they made their way towards the group , as the rest of them cheered. Charles then popped his collar and winked at Heather, simply saying, "Looks like it's my turn." Before walking over the dance floor, doing a bad version of the Twist - not that anyone really cared.

Heather laughed at the sight of all of them dancing, before a small figure caught her attention. It was a toddler with rosy cheeks, a button nose, tiny lips and cork screw brown curls. She would have been the most adorable thing if Heather knew how she had gotten into the room or the mansion for that matter without someone, especially Charles, noticing. When the little girl turned and Heather saw her eyes - her big blue eyes - she nearly let out a gasp.

It was Ruth.

The ache was back as Heather gazed over Ruth. There was no doubt in her mind that if Ruth had been able to live for more than just two years, she would have been a heart breaker. The little girl, instead of shying away like usual, giggled and waved excitedly at Heather, who simply waved back. Ruth giggled again, the sound reminding Heather of small bells, before she too disappeared into a shower of gold, similar to that of her mother and Darwin. 

Heather stared at the dark corner where Ruth had been, until Erik shook her shoulder. "Are you alright?" He asked, before Heather nodded. "I think - I just helped someone else move on too." 

"Who?"

Heather pursed her lips. "I'll tell you later, alright? I don't really want to ruin your night." Erik smiled. "Nothing could ruin my night. But, if you wouldn't tell me - " Erik stepped in front of her, holding his hand out to her. "Do you want to dance?"

Heather laughed, taking his hand, "Of course."

The two were greeted by the cheering of their friends and with the song changing to The Twist, something that was met with more cheers. Heather could never recall feeling this happy or this welcomed, with her friends laughing and dancing around her - and actual friends at that, not ghosts. She had found a place to call home, she had found friends to lean back on, she had survived the Cuban Missile Crisis, she had discovered new powers that she had never thought existed, and she had met the craziest, most stubborn, caring, mother like ghost in the world.

And she wouldn't trade any of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No Angels was my first ever X-Men story and I'm shocked by the support I've gotten through writing it. What started out as a weird dream has become one of my most popular fanfictions ever. 
> 
> I wanted to take this time to thank all of those who wrote reviews/comments, favorited this and followed me for this story. If it wasn't for you guys, this story wouldn't be where it is today. A special thank you to those you stayed for the whole ride, I'm sorry it took me so long to write this story. But thank you anyway for staying with me the whole time, you're all amazing.
> 
> I also wanted to say that I have a little something for you all.
> 
> Ever since I got to Chapter 10-11, I started to think "do I want to do a sequel?" At first, I was only going to do a sequel based off of Days of Future Past - you know, follow the trend I had going on.
> 
> I decided to title the project "Not About Angels" and while I developed most of the plot line for the story, I began to have doubts about it. So I basically put it in development hell. There's a good chance I may still write it, but it'll most likely come out around the time X-Men: Apocalypse does. 
> 
> The second sequel I decided to do was about the X-Men's life after No Angels. So students coming to the school, marriages, children, scandals. Basically a Soap Opera but with mutants.
> 
> That project is called "Calling All Angels" (keeping that angel theme alive and well), it'll defiantly be longer and the first chapter should be out soon.
> 
> I also wanted to say that I have a few other X-Men stories that I plan to write (one is about Ruth Lehnsherr and another revolves around Michael Coleman, Heather's older half-brother), so keep an eye out for those.


End file.
